Taikan-yo Hogyoku
by Sasusakui
Summary: This is a tale of an ex-mercenary who left his past life for a much more peaceful one of a vagabond that goes through small towns to make ends meet by doing odd jobs here and there. It is on this wandering journey that he experiences true loneliness and wonders what will become of his future. It is then that he meets an orphaned girl named Lilinette. Rating may change from M to T
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I know yadda yadda I have no business creating a completely new story but hey, life decides to give me inspiration whenever it wants to.**

 **Warning! This story will contain slight Grimmhime, Ulquihime, but will end up Starrhime. If any of these pairings don't sit well with you then *shrug. This fic will also contain harem-like situations, but otherwise has an end goal in sight.**

 **Cover art doesn't belong to me, only the plot.**

—*—

Brown eyes stared listlessly into the sky as a soft breeze carried white clouds on to their destination—really he should say cloud, seeing as there's only one in the vast expanse of open atmosphere. He could honestly compare the huge puff of white to himself. Grand, powerful, overwhelming, yet completely alone as it drifted on across the sky without purpose or calling.

He laid underneath a tall oak tree. A place, no matter how far he ventured from, always seemed to make it back to no matter how far he traveled. During the last war, when he was part of a now dead group of samurai, he was forced to slay one of his good friends. He could remember the pleasant smile on his face, the ease of his passing, and the utter relinquished defeat resting in the man's eyes. Starrk would never forget him, and so he buried him underneath this oak tree that was older than the both of them put together. His only regret other than killing him was not being able to sip sake with him like they used to, in that sort of comfortable silence that had no need to be filled with words.

Starrk heaved a sigh and sat up. He didn't have the luxury to lay around re-thinking of his past when he vowed to forget everything after leaving that bloodied life behind. Besides, he was hungry, and he didn't have a dime to his name. The last couple of coins he made yesterday went to cheap booze and other petty things he really had no business purchasing other than for the sheer purpose of having such items. Speaking of said possessions, with a quick sweep of his eyes over the surrounding area, he realized they were gone. All of them. He cursed aloud. There was no telling if he had misplaced them during one of his multiple drunken stupors, or if he was robbed in plain sight during the day while he was slesping off his hangover from the night before. There was no one else to blame for that, so he let it go as quickly as his still slightly hungover self would allow. There would be plenty of time for anger later once he started up his daily training some time later on today.

His sword rested on his hip untouched, still in its sheath, decidedly the most expensive thing on his person. Designs of koi and dragon scales etched onto the hard marble-like material of the sheath, and pure iron carved and ironed out, shaped into a thin and deceptively heavy sword rested inside. He had taken great care of it over the years, doing everything within his power to ensure that not a nick or scratch adorned it. Of course every now and again he would have to get it repaired and visit his swordsman for repairs, but that was rare, and the last time he had seen the man had been over five years ago when he was still a samurai. Seeing as his most prized possession was still lying on his hip only told him that he lost those little trinkets somewhere on his own during one of his drunken nights, or who knows, maybe he just imagined it all and thought he owned small things and really didn't. If he wasn't so deeply invested in alcohol than he would call himself crazy.

His headache only increased once he stood and stretched, bones popping back into place after finally being freed from their uncomfortable positions on the ground. Sometimes he really wished he could afford a night in an inn, but the nearest one wouldn't keep someone with a background as dark as his. The legends and tales going on about him making some wary, some foolish, some enticed, and some disgusted. Once he gathered his bearings he kept telling himself he would leave this place once and for all and venture out once more to yet another town that didn't know his name nor affiliation and try to start a life there, but this place also happened to be where he grew up and partially enjoyed most of his childhood, and still held a special position in his heart. Despite the cruelty it occassionally showed him more than he would've liked, there wasn't a bone in his body that would openly admit that he would never return, because he always did.

His open-toed, metal geta, clacked on the smooth and paved walkway towards the main road that ran through the middle of the village, along this little side road rested smaller houses bordering near the outskirts of the village. These people were just along the borderlines of being poor, but despite that, were great gossips, and one could find out all of the village's secrets from them.

Starrk hated them.

They were nosy people, and always had an opinion about everyone else but themselves, and took offense to such things. As usual he paid them no mind as he walked past, his metal geta hitting the ground alerting them of his presence, and his mediocre and plain dark green yukata lightly fluttering behind him.

They were wary of the sword that seemed to be glued to his side, and they were more aware of his past triumphs than he would've liked, but that didn't stop their mouths from flapping as if they knew what they were talking about.

"Ah, it's always a pleasure to see hōkai no otoko during spring time," Starrk's footsteps slowed a little, a bit of agitation washing over his shoulders, "he's gracing us once more with his divine presence."

Oh. So it was a title thing.

"Divine no more," a younger male hissed, "those glory days of his are no more..."

Their words began to fade out then as he hastened his pace. It was more jealousy than it was hate, he realized, and it was because of this that Starrk couldn't find it in himself to be angry with them. They had no idea what they were asking for, this kind of infamousy was not good, living his present life forever shadowed by the dark one of his past, and grabbing whatever sliver of normalcy he could obtain, for that he pitied them. They continued to haggle him even as he got further away, and once he could no longer hear their words of judgment he sighed once more with a tinge of relief knowing that he would only have to deal with wary stares the more he went into the heart of the village.

He observed the children running about, chasing each other this way and that while silently relenting the days of his youth when life was as simple as a game of tag with other village children his age, but then, with a frown, he realized that not even that was something he had. Growing up as the heir to a prestigious, samurai family had its perks back then, but enjoying his youth was not one of those perks. His youth composed of studying and learning the ways of the sword, the best way to kill someone and how to render them completely defenseless should his sword somehow be broken during battle or taken away from him. Coming to such a conclusion put a sour taste upon his tongue and with disdain he cast such thoughts deep inside of himself only for them to resurface later should he get shit-faced drunk.

A hefty breeze ruffled the light layers of his yukata and a considerable amount of leaves and branches blew into his path. The road began to crest into a rolling hill and he paused at the very top to gaze down. Well...here it was. The inner city as the folk around his birthplace called it and a notable size too compared to the other smaller villages. It wasn't as lively as the places closest to the real city, nor as prosperous, but it was home all the same. He walked through these same roads for as long as he could remember and whether the older generations liked it or not, he would always return.

A wagon led by an ox passed him by, the beast snorting and grunting from the exertion while the man that drove them seemed miserable and tired with all the timber he had to escort...somewhere. Starrk stopped and looked at the man thoughtfully, considering the large amount of his load and the amount of energy he would use up dealing with such weight. He shrugged, thinking it was worth a shot, and on the upside it didn't seem like the guy was from around there.

"Excuse me," he started, waiting to gain the man's attention and continuing once he did, "do you need any help?"

The elder man reigned in the ox and stopped, eyeing him and giving him an obvious once over probably to see if he looked physically capable of even helping him. Starrk almost wanted to shift under such an uncomfortable and pensive stare, and to add even more to his discomfort was the fact that the gaze of said man lingered in certain areas of his body that were a bit on display for the warm weather. He wanted to cringe. This guy was old enough to be his uncle.

"Yeah. I could use the help," the man smiled a bit, "it's not everyday that young men your age offer their services so freely."

Starrk crossed his arms, ignoring the gleam in the man's eyes, "For a price."

"Yes yes. I suppose that's how it always is these days. I'll tell you what, I'm taking this lumber into the next town over from this one. I'll split my earnings with you as soon as collect the funds."

Starrk looked at the pile of lumber, to the man, and then back again. It wasn't like he exactly had a choice anyway, so he nodded, to which the man grinned. The man slid a little forward on the seat of the ox and patted the spot behind him, to which Starrk merely raised his eyebrow at, making no indication that he would move from his spot.

"The way there is long! And although I have no doubt in your young, fresh capabilities, I wouldn't want to tire you out so soon when we haven't even begun." The man said with a chuckle.

His double implication made Starrk's fingers twitch. This guy was seriously coming on to him. Could he not tell that he was at least in his thirties already and that he was trying to flirt with someone most likely half his age? Starrk released a slow breath, the urge to punch someone had never been so strong.

Instead, he opted to turn on his heal and began his decent down the hill, albeit at a pace that clearly stated he had no intention of leaving the man behind, "There's no need. I'm accustomed to these lands and thoroughly experienced walking them."

By this point the man had already smacked his reins against the ox's hide, prompting the miserable beast to move once more. Soon enough they were side by side.

"Thoroughly experienced," the man tried the phrase on his tongue before smirking to himself, "the wonders of youth. What I wouldn't give to experience those years again."

Starrk scowled. This day was already starting out horrendously long.

* * *

 **Taikan-yo Hogyoku - Crown/ed Jewel**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I've made the decision to keep future chapters right around 1k, 2k, or 3k, with the occasional 5k should I get inspired. Until, expect faster updates because of such lengths :)**

 **Side Note: I feel like the characters of this time period shouldn't use today's common curse words but I wouldn't know how else they would display displeasure without using such words. Especially if they have a vulgar disposition, for example, Grimmjow or Nnoritora. I want to keep this story line as immersive in the time period as I can but having little knowledge of it makes it hard. Research would help immensely if I knew what era this would be but sadly I don't. If I make any mistakes please don't hesitate to inform me, they should be relatively minor. As for the curse words, I'll use them.**

* * *

 _Sleep, my love...tomorrow will always remain that.  
_

 _Now awaken my love, what do you see?  
_

 _Do you see my face?  
_

 _Or do you see the sun?  
_

 _—*—_

The sun was high in the sky as the two men walked under its blazing attention. Starrk wanted to curse his body for naturally accumulating the sweat going down his face and landing on his exposed chest where it traveled further down until being absorbed into his yukata. He couldn't count on all of his fingers how many times that old geezer kept glancing his way, asking every now and again if he wanted some water out of his canteen to pour on himself. Did the guy even know how brazenly obvious he was being with his advances? And was he so blind to not catch his subtle denial to such advances? Why was he being subtle anyway? What did he care about this guy's feelings anyway?

Oh right. If it wasn't for this guy he wouldn't be getting paid.

"Dear kami. Such heat would kill any lesser man, but it seems as though it only serves to point out just how durable you really are." He croaked.

Starrk refused to look at him as they walked through the bustling streets of his hometown, disregarding the glances as they passed through, "These parts of the country sometimes get heat waves during the Spring. They'll pass later on in the month, but it's always best to get your dealings finished either before the afternoon hits or before the night is over."

"So I take it you're from here?" The man inquired.

Starrk paused, "You can say that."

A low whistled sounded, "So mysterious. You're the type to just come and go aren't you? Never really settling in one place for long hmm?"

"Aah." Whatever _type_ that is. Starrk didn't know whether or not he should take offense to that statement either.

The old man chuckled, seeming to forget all about the oppressive heat, "You never did tell me your name, ah, then again I never told you my name either. It's Jigoku."

Starrk frowned. Who in their right mind would name their child that? His parents must've named him that for a reason and Starrk could only imagine the bullying the guy surely received when he was young because of it. Realizing he still hadn't offered up his name in return he hurried to respond in slight worry that the guy suspected him of judgement,

"Starrk."

"Starrk," the man almost purred while repeating it, "that's a unique one. Never heard it before."

 _And you wouldn't want to anyway_ , Starrk thought off-handedly. He was pretty sure his reputation alone would cause the man next to him, as smitten with the ex-mercenary as he was, to scurry along his way as if the devil was on his heels. Which was ironic considering his name was _Jigoku_.

An hour passed and Starrk knew instinctively they were leaving out of Iyo and crossing into the borders of its neighboring sister part, Yuna. He could understand why the man was delivering the timber now. Recently the place was starting to get more populated. The villages closer to the royal city outskirts were getting over-filled with more tourists than families at the thought of seeing a glimpse of this country's emperor, empress, or the Archduchess. Every passing year a bucket load of new people would travel way out here to see the royal faces, utterly ridiculous in Starrk's opinion. He hated royals and there were many others like him that hated them too. Those kinds of people didn't have any sort of soul and most of them were corrupt anyway. It was lucky enough that this part of the precinct was ruled by a rather docile King and he had the privilege of serving under him at one point.

"The orders coming in for timber is considerably large year after year. Business is booming and I plan to take full advantage of it!" The man exclaimed.

Speaking of business, maybe he should head towards the royal outskirts one of these days. It would be smart of him to remain where he was however considering the bounty on his head was impressively large, but hiding away because of that wouldn't get him any money and if those bounty hunters were smart they would lay off. The man next to him probably just blew in from the next town over and most likely hasn't seen anything about him yet. Starrk would like to keep that way. Then another idea popped into his mind. He really should consider heading towards the royal city outskirts anyway because no one would ever expect him to go there. His hatred for royalty wasn't known to just him and at least there he could figure out the tactics of royal guards that had to go through protocol unlike a bounty hunter that had nothing to lose.

He had so many questions going through his mind that needed answering, but then he decided who better to ask than the man next to him who's probably already been there, "Oi, Jigoku." he called his attention.

The man seemed overly pleased to hear his name roll off his lips and tongue, "Yes?"

"Have you ever been to the Royal City?" Starrk asked with more than a little twitch to his face.

He had traveled to the heart of the Royal City once before but that was a long time ago, and back then it was called _Awai Toshi_. It wasn't nearly as popular as it was now, and the emperor then ruled with an iron fist rather than a sort of playful one like the emperor now. If he could remember correctly the previous emperor was usurped by an officer of his that happened to be of royal blood himself and had gained enough of a following to help overthrow the tyrant and forcefully take the thrown. Those that helped him weren't without reward and were made part of his court. Most of those people were of royal lineage too, and Starrk had the slight suspicion that they had planned to do that for awhile. He didn't know how it was all being run now and the man next to him was the only insight he had.

The man looked over at him and blinked in confusion, "Have you never been? Surely everyone who lives in this part of the country has traveled there at least once. The excitement about the Archduchess is on everyone's tongue, albeit to the Archduke's dismay."

"Huh?" The _Archduchess_? Since when did the Emperor have a daughter? Or a son?!

He must've really fallen off the face of the Earth if the royals had already had heirs. Honestly Starrk had never paid any of the royal families any attention. There was once a time where he did recon and bodyguard work for one them, but his memory failed to remember their name. They were high up on the ladder of royal blood too, held a nice position on the thirteen seat court as well, but that was all so long ago and he doubted those same people remembered him anymore, probably even dead with the way his memory was heading.

While he was a mercenary there wasn't enough time nor relaxation to worry about the calm life of royal bloods. Every time he turned he was being attacked for one reason or another. Be that for the fame of bringing the last of his line to its knees (even though it didn't technically count considering he had abandoned his honor long ago), or take his beloved sword away from him and keep it as a trophy or sell it to the highest bidder.

"You didn't hear?" The man shook his head, "where have you been all this time? Living under a rock?"

Starrk shot him a look, "It matters not."

The man raised his hands up in defense, "Well. Anyway. Rumor has it that the Archduchess is past of age to marry someone of her court but is refusing to do so. If you look at the history of the Emperors and their lineage, an Archduchess couldn't even go seven full moons without being married off already to some no name King so one wonders why her parents are letting her get away with it. Anyway, the rumor continues to say that she really wants to marry a commoner, but I don't believe it. However, others do and that's why people of all shapes and sizes have traveled vast lands and seas to try her hand in marriage."

The ex-samurai's eyebrows shot up. He wasn't one for gossip nor politics but this seemed pretty far-fetched. If the Emperor was still as he remembered then there would be no way he would entertain such an idea, wouldn't even give the laughing matter a second thought. A commoner's blood taint the royal bloodline? Not likely. That had the same amount of chances of going through as Starrk and the old geezer somehow managing a one night stand _with_ the assistance of alcohol.

"Fat chance." Starrk said with a flippant hand.

The man chuckled loudly, liking his easy response and dismissal of the opposite sex in light of his own desires, "In all honesty, no disrespect to the Duchess—ah fuck it, respect or none, no one would be able to stay married to her for long anyhow!" Cue howls of laughter at this point. He was so loud that even the ox seemed to take offense to such a crude noise by groaning loudly.

"Wouldn't stay?" Starrk inquired. He had no idea why he was so interested. Probably considering now that he didn't have to worry about the status of his life twenty-four seven he had the luxury of knowing about people who would forever be more well off than he.

The man sniffled, reining in his laughter with much effort, "Ah yes. I've been to the heart of the Royal City before, and let me tell you business is endless there, but anyhow, the city threw a sort of welcome back event that involved lots of booze, frivolous women, and free entertainment. This was all for the return of the Empress and the Archduchess from their success at making the neighboring precinct an ally of theirs before they had a chance to defect like they were planning to. They had that King swear to remain loyal to the Emperor and that very same day he did and the two beauties were back home in no time! The commoners and other royal families adore the imperial family, so I guess a celebration was in order."

A long, pregnant pause fell between them and the ex-mercenary grew annoyed, "And no one would endure the Archduchess's company _because_...?" He pointedly trailed off, also keeping in the back of his mind that the man called the two women beauties. This guy was a mess.

"Oh yeah! Right. So when the two beauties came back the gates parted for them and their small army came in first, making a path through the crowd so their horses had space. First was the Empress. Breathtaking as usual! Hair long and wavy like fire and icy blue eyes that could set any man's soul aflame with just one glance! She's got a body on her too! Not even her trademark pink cloak could hide such a dangerous thing. And she's got grace too, like an Empress should, but a heart of pure, molten gold! Everyone knows that she could sway the Emperor to do almost anything. Practically smiled at everyone there as women and men cried at the sight of her. Not too far behind her was the Archduchess, who cast an opposite reaction with the entrance she made. Her horse even seemed to intimidate people as big and black as it was. Her body is as sinful as her mother's, hair almost identical except without the waves but just as long and beautiful, and her face just as pretty and fair, she's also got eyes like her mother, but it's more gray in color if I say so myself. It could almost be silver, but they darken up when someone happens to anger her and often times she's angry than not. Her entourage, the _Trifecta_ , a scary bunch I tell ya, entered behind her. They were all clad in their battle armor and had stormy faces, while the Archduchess's was alight with displeasure and rage. Such a sight isn't uncommon should you have a chance to look at her. She always has this sort of narrow in her eyes that makes her look displeased, but this was something different. There was hell fire in those eyes, and it's been rumored that she inflicts awful and terrible punishments upon those that displease her and surely someone that day died because of it. Whoever it was. It's common knowledge that without the gentleness of the Archduke there would be no one else to quell her fury. It's also said that he's the reason why she won't marry. It's known that the Archduke and the Archduchess are very close for siblings."

The thought of that almost made Starrk color with the forbidden aspect of it. A brother and sister? Unheard of.

"That wouldn't go without the Emperor's attention."

"I beg to differ," the man said with a slight lilt to his voice, "the Archduchess is said to have more power than her brother, and therefore able to move around more than he can. She could do a lot of things and have it kept under wraps in fear of her temper. Her brother is the only other person she listens to if not her father and it's quite often that the Empress sometimes refers to her as her wild child. It seems as though the Archduchess can get away with anything, even so far as not being married. I think that's reason enough for her to not keep a man. She's terrifying."

Starrk hummed in thought. Sure was a tricky predicament the imperial family was dealing with. For once he was thankful his birth wasn't so noble amongst the royals and he was glad that they were separated by two different worlds. Samurai and mercenaries alike don't tend to associate themselves with royal bloods and from personal experience Starrk knew why. It always ended bloody no matter what or whom was involved, even the best intentions could turn into a bloodbath and he more or less lived by that rule now.

Before he even realized it, the man had stopped his ox in front of decently sized establishment that was literally overrun with logs of all shapes and sizes laying around everywhere. The surname on the only things not made out of wood read Mokuzai and Starrk supposed it was a fitting name. Apparently the real work was suppose to start now behind the establishment, and the logs weren't going to move themselves from the cart the ox was tugging.

The man hopped off the beast, giving it a smack on its romp before beaming at the young man before him. There was a queer gleam in his eye that had Starrk squirming inwardly once again, this guy would never stop would he?

"Our goal for today is to take these logs, and half of the ones lying around and to chop them up into adequate sizes." He stated with a smile.

The ex-mercenary slightly twitched at the man's use of the word _logs_ to describe the debranched _trees_ laying around them. Some being the size of simple saplings and others full grown, thick adults. There were about twelve lying around and then another twelve or so in the cart.

"And we're supposed to chop all of this to adequate size?" he asked with obvious skepticism, "they aren't expecting all this to be done by the end of the day are they?"

The man frowned and shook his head, "No of course not! We aren't men with extraordinary abilities," he gave him a playfully suspicious look, "at least I'm not."

Starrk deadpanned and went to release the restraints holding the logs together on the back of the ox, grimacing a little once all of them more or less fell off and rolled their separate ways. They hadn't even started and he was releasing a sigh. If there wasn't money involved in this then there was no way in hell he would've been there.

* * *

 **Jigoku - Hell**

 **Mokuzai - Wood or timber**

 **Awai Toshi - Pale City (I guess)**

 **Taikan-yo Hogyoku - Crowned Jewel**

 **Six full moons should be roughly a year considering it's said that we get two for one month with the second being a Blue moon, and we get thirteen full moons in a year.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Warning. This chapter and future chapters will contain slight incest. If you've ever read The Other Boleyn Girl, this is where I get my inspiration from. However, there will be differences between the incest there and the incest here. Please note that some things may be alluded to, but not always the truth in this story. Keep an open mind as well.**

 **Be happy, not douchey. Those kind of scenes won't be common.**

 **I've also made a very important change within this chapter that I will correct in the last chapter. I have, for many reasons, changed who the Emperor is. One of those reasons is because it would make more sense for Sora, who is the Archduke.**

* * *

 _You_ _philosophers_ _are lucky men._

 _You write on paper and paper is patient._

 _Unfortunate Empress that I am,_

 _I write on the susceptible skins of living beings._

-Catherine the Great

—*—

Harsh and silent whispers was all that was heard coming from the Emperor's throne room and no one, not even the hand maidens and servants, were allowed inside. Despite the occasional rumor that would fly about the imperial family and the obvious adoration from the people they ruled over, it was a widely unknown rule that all of their private affairs remained private. They've lived by this golden rule for years and sometimes the emperor enforced it with an iron fist; allowing mirrors to only be shown to the public eye and never the human.

Inside the throne room, if one were to peak at the intense and hushed conversation of the royals, they would have full vision of the Empress, the Emperor, and the Archduke. All three of them had expressions different than the ones they would be normally spotted with in the civilian's eyes, and judging by the heavy atmosphere, there was only one reason why: the rebellious behavior of not only the Archduchess, but the Archduke as well.

Previous of the now heated discussion, the Empress and Emperor held a minor court session that consisted of two out of the thirteen royal family heads to bare witness to their handling of complaints, payments, and political issues via a long line of nobles' representatives. Everything however was put on hold once the Archduke strode in unannounced and certainly not summoned by the Emperor himself. The noble representative that had happened to be in the midst of sentence was pleasantly surprised by the young man's entrance, noting and appreciating the brown-haired male's powerful stride and up-tilted chin with the air of an Archduke, as well as admiring the warm and docile look in his eyes. Seeing him and his respectable air, yet beautiful personality, had filled this noble man with pride that the Archduke would lead them in the future, and happiness that he would do so, no doubt, with a gentle hand.

The Emperor, in the middle of listening to said noble man, perked up from his slightly lounging posture and looked towards the source of the small whispers and subtle movement of fabric. His eyes watched his son move towards them all from the long ways of across the room and they all waited patiently and respectfully until he finally reached them. With a slightly amused sort of look in his gaze, the Emperor looked down at his son from atop his throne and inspected his choice of wear that he presented to the audience before them. His robes were long, but open on one side to give him room to walk as he pleased without feeling restricted, his pants were slightly baggy and a tan color while his feet were adorned with simple but elegant sandals that were outlined with thin and large strands of gold, his son's brown hair that matched his own locks were also similarly fashioned to look like him, the only difference being the absence of one lose strand of hair that the Emperor was trademarked for among the throngs of civilians, nobles, and royal families. The Emperor also noted, with inward swelling pride, that his son presented himself wearing the most exquisite selection of jewelry on his arms, around his neck, and ears. He walked with an air that he could not be touched by anyone, no commoner, or anyone generally beneath him, while his kind face and eyes portrayed otherwise. One told a story of lies, while the other indicated what his son himself wanted the public eye to see.

And see they did. Look, how they fawned over him!

"Ah. It seems as though the Archduke has appeared to fancy the court with his presence," the Emperor addressed the whole court with a booming voice full of deep tenor, "maybe he has come to be an observer." he surmised plainly.

The two heads of the royal family sat calmly in their intricately designed seats worthy of their statuses. They were facing the eastern direction of the room, to the right of the Empress that sat high atop her throne facing the entrance leading into the castle; same as the Emperor who was facing the same way, while the long line of nobles entered in from the front and across the red strip of velvet material leading up to the thrones. The Archduke gracefully crossed his arms, every action and gesture he made being the epitome of authority and thoughtfulness, and kindly shook his head, an easy smile spreading across his face as he acknowledged everyone else in the room with one single look.

"Something important has been brought to my attention and now must be brought to _your_ attention father." He echoed back with a respectful tone.

This piqued the Empress's attention, which seemed to be far away and elsewhere, and a singular auburn eyebrow rose, "Why, they're envoys all over, my dear son. I'm sure you were busy with something before-hand that warranted your attention, this could have been left up to any messenger to deliver to us."

The Archduke glanced over to his mother and noted that she looked as ethereal and beautiful as ever, then thinking soon after that in the eyes of someone that truly knew her, it was a sad, cruel joke.

"Of course, however, this particular information came from an unknown source and happens to be extremely _sensitive_." He told her specifically.

The Empress inwardly deflated at the news, outwardly opting to just absent-mindedly tap her fingers on the bejeweled arm rest on either side of her. At the silence of the Emperor, her husband, she dismissed everyone in the room with the flick of her hand; her icy hues alight with a look that left no room for idle chatter or dilly-dallying. As people filed out one by one, the Emperor turned in his massive throne and addressed the hand-maidens that sat quietly, face pointed towards the floor, and hidden away by the shadow of the Empress's throne.

"You all are dismissed." He stated in a hard tone, "do not come back to the Empress's side until she herself retrieves the lot of you."

All eight of them seemed to tremble and quake under the weight of his commands, but nevertheless didn't forget their manners in front of the imperial family by rising and gliding out of their presence like little ghosts. The Emperor watched their white dresses flutter momentarily before returning his attention to his son, who now stood in front of their high up throne with a darkened look. All of their mirrors would be turned away now.

The next the Archduke spoke it was with an impatient, none-too-pleased sort of tone, and apparently the source of his irate had something to do with his sister, whom still, among other things, adored him.

"When will you put your foot down father?" He questioned without caution, to which said man rose an eyebrow at, "she needs to be married this instant!" The soon-to-be Emperor hissed.

"What's this about?" the Emperor questioned in a passive tone, "I already told you why things are the way they are with your sister...and here you are questioning me again."

The archduke couldn't be stopped, "Anyone from the Royal families would do, they're handsome enough, and would satisfy her should she be worried about such a thing. But she cannot go alone any longer."

"And why exactly do you have such interest in her affairs anyhow?"

"You know full well why I have such complaints," at this the young Archduke flashed a look upon his mother, whom ignored him, "it reflects poorly upon me, the Archduke, who can't seem to persuade his own sister, whom should be submissive to all of our whims, to marry someone quickly."

The Emperor scoffed, "I sincerely doubt that the inconsistent ramblings of the civilians is what's keeping you from getting a decent lay."

The Empress's facial expression turned sour as she shot her husband an incredulous look, "What nonsense is this?" she questioned sharply as she then pierced her of age son with a look that made him inwardly shrink, "you couldn't be possibly complaining to us about bedding a commoner could you?! What would you do should you impregnate one of those cows?! We would have a bastard of a grandchild!" she nearly screeched.

"I'm careful mother," the Archduke stressed with a tired tone, "you cannot ask me to be completely celibate while you are still grooming my soon to be wife."

The Empress glared at him from atop her throne but said nothing in response to his words. He was sneaky, and she would be too busy to watch over him herself, and guards would be too incompetent to watch him for her, so she growled lowly in defeat. The Emperor himself was less amused than his wife was.

"Please, son," he spoke in a slightly irritated tone that the Archduke knew to avoid, "don't bother me about such trivial things. Surely one of your sister's hand-maidens would suffice."

With a simple wave that meant he must leave, the Archduke left the throne room promptly; completely enraged that that was the end of the conversation. He was stuck between being utterly frustrated with his sister for something, he assumed, she could not control, and being lenient with her considering he couldn't stand being out of favor with her. He scowled softly at his own inconsistency. He hated feeling like he despised her yet adored her at the same time. All it meant was that he would be enslaved to her when it was time for him to sit on that same throne their father was sitting on. It couldn't be like that anymore. That was the reason why he was pushing so hard to have someone marry her. He thought- really believed, that if she was attached to someone else then he wouldn't feel that weakness he so often felt around her.

"Such a sorry expression," A hand was laid soft and warm on his face, "What ails you brother?"

He didn't have to look to know whose hand was on his face. The hand that often caressed him needed no name in order for him to recognize it.

Sora sighed and gently removed Orihime's hand from his person, kissing it before returning it to her side, "Nothing ails me sister. Where are you coming from?"

"The smith," she said with slight irritation building in her voice, "I cracked my sword."

A small smile filtered onto his face as he turned to look at her, being greeted first by her vibrant auburn hair falling over her shoulders. She wore her usual armor, being adjusted to her smaller body type compared to the average male, a thin _dou_ that had no business being heavy than it would be now, as well as a colored _mempo_ that she wore that denoted her imperial ranking and had the likeness of a _byakko_. The rest of her armor was missing considering she had no need of it within the imperial grounds. He hardly saw her walking around wearing the accustomed heavy yukata that she was supposed to be spotted wearing unless he knew that their mother had made her do so if they had one of the other royal families present. He had the suspicion she wore her armor often because it made her feel safe, but if he were to ask her she would surely say to him that that was not true.

Sora lifted his hands to her armored face and removed the white-ironed mask, revealing her pretty face to him. Stormy hues blinked up at him, her lashes framing them in a womanly fashion that was the sole product of her long list of suitors, and her taunt mouth pouting slightly at the fate of her beloved sword. He couldn't help himself.

Her palms laid on his chest as they shared a chaste kiss, his other hand wound in her hair adoringly with marvel at its softness. When he parted from her he was satisfied with the blush cresting over her cheeks. Was it wrong of him to swell with pride at the idea that only he could make her feel that way?

"Don't ever hide your face from me." he softly commanded.

She nodded and he found himself once again satisfied with her, his discontent with her previous actions soon melting into oblivion and eventually making him forget what exactly she had done. He let her away when she wished it, and listened to her when her mouth opened next.

"I'm going to bathe," she turned on her heel, hair swishing about her back and shoulders, "I'll see you at dinner."

—*—

Long, fiery hair was brushed over a hundred times, as per usual when the Archduchess returned after a long day from her chambers. The air around her was chilly, something her neglected hand maidens were used to, but that still didn't stop them from being almost unbearably quiet and annoyingly nervous. Orhime disapproved. She would rather female servants have more bravado, but at the same time hold some amount of humility.

Her armor was shed long ago, the servants at least capable of assisting her with that without dropping anything precious. All of the pieces were sent off to be properly laundered and polished and she hoped it would be taken care of there as well, she felt naked without her armor. Now only clad in a thin, pretty royal blue yukata with crashing waves, she gazed at the fabric exposing her curvaceous frame and womanly attributes. It almost made her roll her eyes. Were women just what their bodies portrayed? If she were not Archduchess of this land then what would she be? Would people still respect her as they did now? She knew that the views of the civilians were not genuine towards her simply because her family and even her exceptional swordsmanship was not taken seriously. She would never amount as much as a male, and the very idea made her terribly angry.

"Leave," she commanded harshly, startling the women around her, "I'm sure you all can find something else to do with yourselves."

Her scathing tone made the women scurry like discouraged flies from awaiting food and soon she was left alone with only an open sliding pane, a servant forgetting to close it in her haste. She stared outside of her large room, noting the peach color of her walls with painted cherry blossoms and slouching tigers moving about, the sunshine filtering into the corridor adjacent to her space and making the crushed jewel flooring shine brilliantly, her large mirror that was set on top of a table that reflected her unamused expression and soon the gleaming smile of one of her trusted officers, the captain of her prized Trifecta.

"Not happy today princesa?"

He was from a place called Spain and his accent ran deep. There was a thing called conquerors going about there, and naturally that was heavily engraved in his blood. He was quite surprised to see a woman with any sort of power. If someone knew the Duchess as well as her Trifecta did then one would question why she made someone like Nnoitra Gilga the head of her entourage. Sometimes she questioned that herself.

She blinked a couple of times before responding to him, watching his stillness with an intensity she knew that irked him, "I didn't hear you come in Tora," she watched with grace as the vein on his throat throbbed at the sound of her pet name for him, "you get quieter everyday."

Still not used to words of praise being bestowed on him, he withdrew from her personal space as if disgusted, "Keh! That's expected of your guard isn't it? And you still haven't answered my question."

"Ah. My cute Tora is concerned about my emotions, how endearing."

He slinked towards her once more, subtle fury laying in place of his usual lewd amusement, "You trying to piss me off?"

She turned towards him, "No," at this Gilga seemed to relax, "and to answer your previous inquirey...it was the hand maidens again."

"Them again? You cycle through those broads like swords, which speaking of, the smith is done repairing."

By this point Nnoitra decided to take it upon himself to partake in the company of the young pretty woman, whom he got to gaze freely upon wearing the clothes he rarely saw her adorn. If anything she was even more mouth-watering, almost painfully so. If it was a different time or a different life he would be barbaric, maybe even a monster, but it was long since she had earned his respect in her own right. There was nothing she could do to make him cross the line.

Orihime nodded her head in acknowledgement and let a comfortable silence settle between them. She was idlely pulling a comb through her silk locks and at the same time admiring the stature of her leading officer. He sat near the sliding doors of her bedroom on top of one of the sitting pillows she had out specifically for that purpose. Her officers accompanied her often amd she thought it convenient to already have a seat waiting for them at all times rather than have a pesky maiden come to the aid she didn't need.

He left behind his polished armor perhaps in his own quarters for the day and instead sported a quite wealthy yukata adjusted and tailored specifically for his height. It was a deep red, with small intricate designs that indicated not only his status as one of the Trifecta but also the fact that he was within the Duchess's favor. It meant that any harm done onto him would infringe upon her and a punishment would ensue. Even from underneath this slightly billowy fabric, it was painfully obvious that his body was toned and strong from being within numerous fights, brawls, and wars alike. It was one of the things that attracted her to him so much anyway: his strength. He was an excellent fighter and was the person that taught her how to fight and hold a sword.

His face was angular and screamed masculinity and his dark, raven hair was a bit choppy in the way it was cut but overall long as it stopped below the nape of his neck. He had no need to try to cut it out of necessity, he was usually far too tall for his opponents to grab it anyhow, but it was imperative that he keep up appearances when he was seen around the princess.

She slowly stood and he watched her absently as she rose, wondering vaguely if she would sleep sometime soon.

"Tora," she called while walking towards, then passed him, "I'm going to bathe. Will you accompany me?"

As much as he was hoping that she meant what she was insinuating, he couldn't help but be disappointed when something told him that, no, she was not asking him to join her. He however stood anyway, determined to make good on his duty as her leading officer.

"You really shouldn't ask a man to do such things," he watched the shape of her body move as she walked, licking his chops, "it's hardly lady-like."

She glanced over her shoulder at him, not missing his appreciative gaze, and turned away, "I don't aim to be lady-like. Do you know when they're serving dinner tonight?"

The shining corridors were beginning to alight with orange and she watched the natural phenomena from the high spaces of openness that served as barred windows. She only wished that this specific corridor was covered with some sort of curtain at least, it let in all the cold air.

"You've got some time before they start sending out envoys just to look for you, hell, there's enough time to squeeze in a spar while you're at it."

She hummed softly in thought, wondering why dinner would be held so late, but didn't question it any more than what shampoo she planned to use once she bathed.

Their footsteps were light and quiet as they made the rest of the way to the bath house in complete silence, passing by scurrying hand-maidens while walking to their destination. Each and every person made sure to bow respectfully in the Archduchess's and royal guard's presence before running off to continue doing what they were doing. The princess paid them no mind, while Nnoitra seemed to derive pleasure from spooking some of the younger females. She was going to open her mouth to tell him to refrain from doing so but another deeper, slightly monotone voice beat her to the punch.

"With all due respect Nnoitra-san, I would advise you cease with meddling with the help. Soon enough you'll aggravate the Archduchess."

A glance to her immediate right and there the source of the voice was in all of his glory. She hadn't heard him approach either and she had no idea whether to be pleased that her royal guards had the means to kill her if they wanted to, or angry that she wasn't adequate enough to sense their presence should she need to. Despite her warring emotions, she offered her second in command a nod in acknowledgement to which he returned with the deep incline of his head. He wore his usual attire that consisted of light armor for walking around the palace, while his wardrobe was not as colorful as her own, nor his other two counter-parts, his vibrant eye color and interesting facial tattoos made up for all the loss.

Nnoitra scowled, wondering just where the hell his piece of shit comrade came from and how he managed to sneak up on the both of them without making a sound, "Yeah yeah whatever. What's your business anyway? You weren't summoned." Neither was he but that wasn't the point.

"I don't recall ever needing to be specifically called to visit the Archduchess on my own accord unless she has lost favor with me," with this he gave her a slightly curious glance, to which she shook her head in a negative response, "on that note, I do have a message to pass on which involves your services."

This bit of information made Orihime frown. She was known to be quite protective of her entourage and the only other people around to have the power to request the service of her Trifecta was her parents or her brother. Behind her lips she was biting the inside of her cheek.

A questioning brow of Nnoitra was raised in the other man's direction. It wasn't often that this happened, so he wondered what was so important that he had to be requested now.

"From who?"

"The Archduke."

Cue a pause from two out of the three members of the group.

"For what?" This was asked by the Archduchess, who's eyes were darkening by the second.

"I wasn't told."

The side of her pretty mouth twitched before she abruptly began walking again, "You are dismissed Tora. Come find me again when you're through."

Slightly puzzled, the commanding officer nodded his head in response to her and walked in the opposite direction they had came, his long stride giving him quite the headway down the long corridor.

In the mean time, the second commanding officer of the Trifecta kept pace with the Duchess, who was silently questioning why her brother would need one of her officers, probably to aid him in something lecherous, she surmised.

"Does something trouble you Duchess?" he asked in his usual monotone.

She fixed him with a look before pointedly looking straight ahead, the door to the bath house in plain sight now, "No. Just thinking on the well-being of my sword."

He figured she was lying, something she did often more than some people thought but he didn't question it—he never did.

"Would you like for me to retrieve it for you?" he offered.

She shook her head and flipped her hand in a way that often told him she didn't care one way or another. Their matching stride stopped once the bath house doors came looming above them. As expected, he walked in front of her and opened the right half of the entrance with relative ease and bowed his head as she walked pass him. The room was bigger than most places in the palace and was separated with walls for the sole purpose of giving the members of the royal family the option to all bathe together or to bathe in the privacy they desired. The center tub, the one they were faced with at the moment, was bigger than the lieutenant officer really thought necessary, but this was royalty and he wasn't royal by blood so his knowledge and deduction wasn't clear on the subject. It was large and square with a porcelain foundation but a marble inside that would've made the steaming clear water inside of it almost seem brown as that was its backdrop, but it was empty.

There were towels awaiting the duchess laying on the very edge of the bath and he was quick to snatch one up for her as she left the massive room with languid strides, quiet and naked footsteps with bored eyes. It didn't take him long to catch up to her as she didn't seem to be in much of a rush and eventually the two of them reached the golden sliding doors that led to her private bath. With grace he opened these for her as well and waited for her to enter the room before closing them behind her and dutifully waiting outside for her to finish.

—*—

Long, black lashes blinked to look over at the blank, yet inquisitive expression on the face of the duchess. Her long, straight auburn hair was still wet and smelled pleasantly of hydrangeas while she stood under him, close and completely undressed. He had only just realized that at some point he grabbed her wrist and still held fast to it as if she may strike him if he let go. She looked him directly in the eye as he assessed the situation he put himself in. No one had ever touched her so forcefully unless it was during battle and here he was doing so in the comfort of her home—their home, in a hallway, while she was nude.

* * *

 **A/N: I never knew why most writers on here see it fit to kill Sora off in their fictions too. _Why_? Does he pose too much conflict for other male candidates that people wish to see with our Orihime-chan? I don't really think so. Depending on who's writing the story I would say that he wouldn't be more of a threat than Ichigo would be [and I use Ichigo as an example because in terms of Orihime being with any other male besides him, he's commonly the antagonist to the relationship, or Rukia if Orihime is with Ichigo, but I'm focusing on males specifically here]. In this story Sora plays a _very_ important role. The only thing about him that I kept more or less the same is his relationship with her.**

 **Byakko - The White Tiger (called the Byakko in Japanese but is of Chinese origin). Is said to only appear when the Emperor rules with absolute virtue.**

 **Mempo (or Menpo) - a face plate**

 **Orhime's Armor - When Sora sees her, she's only wearing her face plate, short kusazuri (a skirt of leather plates that protect the hips, groin, and butt) greaves, sabaton (armored sandals I think), short haidate (leather plates that cover the thighs), a thin dou (pronounced like ' _dough_ ' I believe, and it's a chest plate), and spaulders. **

**Hopefully Wikipedia won't lead me so wrong if I use it only slightly, and for right now google translate is being my friend. *squints eyes at them in suspicion* you guys better be telling me the truth.**


	4. Chapter 4

_A lie told often enough becomes the truth._ ~Vladimir Lenin

—*—

He snatched away from her as if he were burned, even going so far as to take two steps away from her. She rubbed the area where his fingers had reached for her, watching the slight red discoloration come in quickly as often did her bruises and found herself slowly beginning to frown. His actions—as random and as surprising as they were—was failing to completely register in her mind and she eventually shut down. It was the first time he had ever handled her roughly outside of sparring with her.

Said man really despised when he became so distracted with his thoughts that he became lost to the world around him. It didn't happen often, nor did it happen when he was needed the most, but when it did, it was when he was in a situation that didn't require his immediate attention and steady guard. Yes, anything could happen at any time and he was a firm believer in the unexpected but whenever his attention was checked out like it was moments ago, his body would react on its own towards any outside force that meant to harm him or the duchess.

She was as surprised as he was when they both realized the position they were in. Her words had fell on deaf ears once she called out to him to retrieve a towel for her. Without the action immediately being done, she felt slighted and peeked her head outside of the heavy curtain that separated her from the rest of the bathhouse to find him standing there as she left him. Seeing that he was doing nothing of importance that could've resulted in him having to leave and instead he was stuck in one of those angering stupors she usually found him in had her angrily standing in front of him and eyes flashing in annoyance. She went wave a hand in front of his face to release him from the shackles of his mind but she found her hand deflected into the air above her head with a stinging sensation. Grunting slightly in discomfort she moved to strike him with her other hand but ended up being grabbed by the wrist and spun around so that her back hit the wall harshly, to which she cried out in pain to. Both of her hands were pinned above her head and his hand was reaching for the hilt of his sword faster than she was watching him do it and it was at that moment that she knew there was a possibility he may kill her this time.

"Cifer."

She had said his name sternly, like a scolding commander, and it was then that she saw the recognition pass across his eyes. It took him a moment to realize what he was doing—what he had done—and it made him show, for the first time, a major expression: shock. They stood there like that for a long moment before she broke eye contact first by turning her whole head to the side, her bangs covering her face and hiding her from his view. That was when he withdrew from her as fast as he could, still appalled by what he had done.

A padding of footsteps alerted both of them at the same time of someone's impending arrival and with something akin to slight relief, Cifer found his shoulders releasing some of their tension. Before her indecent presence could be exposed, the lieutenant of the trifecta stepped in front of her, he would address the newcomer while his duchess could not. The two waited patiently, listening carefully as the person rounded the corner of the baths. To the lieutenant's ears, the footsteps sounded sure and the stride of them were long. He recognized the gaits of his comrades when he heard them and concluded that it was neither of them and surmised that this person was most likely a royal guard looking for the duchess for whatever reason. They wouldn't be in the baths otherwise unless they were uncharacteristically looking for instant death. He wasn't oblivious to what was said about the Duchess. He knew her better than perhaps the rest of her family did, and knew that her anger came from a place that was very dark and cold. He couldn't say he understood too well; emotions were a bit of an enigma to him, but there was one thing he was sure about and that was the fact that her very own people feared her and her ways of going about things. It wasn't his place to advise her if she didn't wish it and it wasn't his place to have an opinion where it wasn't needed, however, his intellect exceeded the woman behind him and he knew without a shadow of a doubt what normally happened to people like her.

Like he predicted it to be, a guard, came into their sight. At his appearance, the duchess grew painfully conscious of the state she was in and drew closer to the back of the man standing in front of her, stiffening uncomfortably in the presence of not just one but two men. At least one out of the two was someone she knew and trusted.

The guard was armored fully and his face could hardly be seen and his stature was the same as all the others. Nothing set him apart in the lieutenant's eyes other than the fact that there was a different sort of aura around him, he knew just because he did that there was nothing that made him different in the duchess' eyes.

The guard began to open his mouth to report his purpose in being there, but his eyes wandered to the fair maiden standing behind the pale, oppressive male standing in front of her. This was unmistakably the duchess. Her ember tresses were wet and swayed with slight draft coming from the holes at the top of the walls to control the steam and although her infamous stormy grey eyes were hidden from him, there was no denying her outrageous body. Her feet were bare and there was a soft cloud of steam rising from her that the guard could only assume came from a recent bath. Being the cocky, brazen man that he was, he had half the mind to voice his question on the topic of what business the lieutenant of the Trifecta had seeing the duchess in such a state and he considered the option of dropping subtle hints to her father. The idea sounded promising at the prospect of seeing one of the pompous asses of the Trifecta's head on a spike, but the visual of the duchess in such a state of undress provided for him an onslaught of pretty images and only serviced in stiffening his member and rendering his speech useless, regardless of the intimidating male standing in front of her.

The slight movement of the lieutenant putting his hand on the hilt of his blade was enough to draw the lecherous guard's eyes away from her for longer than a minute before his attention was once again stolen by the swell of Duchess Orihime's thighs. Said duchess could feel the hungry stare ghosting over what visible piece of her body that was exposed and hissed in disgust and barely composed rage. Cifer thought the man a complete fool for doing the unthinkable and surely he thought that all humans had some sort of self-preservation but this person was not one of them. He was also quite irritated by the fact that this man's fear and wariness of him was so completely over-shadowed by his lust for the woman behind him.

"State your business or be cut down." his voice was hard and his eyes were cold as they looked at the unsightly thing for a man.

The simple order completely dissolved the reverie that the guard made for himself and his duty to royalty came crashing back down on top of his shoulders. A cold shiver went down his sides and what was once apprehension was replaced with worry that his pride may be at stake. Instead of back-pedaling as fast as he could, a perverted smirk crossed his face in less than a second.

"I only came to deliver a message to our lovely duchess, but here I am a humble guard stumbling across one of her most trusted guards gazing upon her while she's indecent. Imagine the whispers! I could only imagine the raging jealousy the rest of the Trifecta may feel at the news."

The lieutenant felt the familiar creep of his slow temper making its way to the forefront of his mind at the idea of some weak little man threatening him when he was the only one at fault for anything lecherous. The gall of this man, the sheer stupidity.

"Kill him."

All time seemed to stop for the guard in front of them. His leering stare was quickly replaced with that of all-consuming fear for his life. He was going to immediately apologize for what he had done but he caught a glimpse of those eyes of her's and knew. If it wasn't for his damning pride he would've pissed himself. He knew without a doubt that his death would be painful, and all for what?

Cifer wasn't surprised at the order he was given and at the moment he wasn't concerned with whom this order could affect should he carry it out. He withdrew his sword with no hesitation, his precious Murcielago reflecting the candlelight and looking just as sharp and as painful as it always did. He made a step towards the guard, to which said guard responded by stepping back. He was only stopped in his advancement when a soft hand fell on his shoulder. Green eyes immediately met grey and he temporarily sheathed his sword as he silently stepped aside. His eyes remained dutifully on the cowering male in front of them and his wide eyes taking in every part of the endowed duchess.

"What exactly was the message you had for me?"

Ah. So that's why she stopped him.

He stumbled and fumbled around his words terribly before he was finally able to get a coherent sentence out, "Dinner is prepared. Your royalness is being requested to feast with the Emperor and the Empress tonight."

She mulled over this for a second before nodding her head slightly and turning to her guard. His eyes respectfully didn't meet her's again and she then turned away, proceeding to walk past the frozen envoy seemingly rooted to the spot he stood in.

"As you were Ulquiorra, but I shouldn't need to remind you not to do it here. Please do me the honor of making his death as painful as possible."

The envoy's eyes widened into saucers as his mouth slowly fell open, eyes welling up.

"No...wait.."

He screamed out in surprise as Cifer knocked the helmet he was wearing right off his head with nothing more than the swipe of his hand. He stumbled backward and attempted to regain his footing but the lieutenant was swift in descending upon him, grabbing a fistful of dark hair and dragging him not too far behind the duchess while said man kicked and yelled out obscenities. A simple frown was directed at Cifer and he silenced the man with a hard smack in the mouth. His teeth cut into his lip harshly and blood was drawn. Seeing it immediately, the duchess warned the lieutenant with just a look that she would have his hide if any got on the floor of the bathhouse. He simply nodded and averted his gaze from her once she approached a stack of plush towels and began to dry herself off and returned his gaze once she donned a simple but still extravagant yukata. It was aesthetically pleasing for him to see her in a dark sea-green.

* * *

 **A/N: I'm a little upset that I couldn't come up with anything else to make this longer, but then I remembered my last author's note from the beginning of the last chapter and my guilt is melting away. The wait on updating this however was uncalled for. Sorry**


	5. Chapter 5

_At the innermost core of all loneliness_

 _Is a deep and powerful yearning_

 _For union with one's lost self_

-Brandan Francis

—*—

Starrk slumped down on the futon laid out for him inside of an inn that wasn't too far from that Mokuzai place. He was thankful for the small fan the owner of the inn gave him (a short, portly woman whose eyes reminded him of a catfish), but it didn't help him escape from the overbearing heat. The small room he occupied was the cheapest the place had and the most he could afford, it was also closer to the back of the establishment, which made him slightly nervous considering shady events occurred near the back of inns. No one knew how to navigate in shady places better than he, and the best way in surviving those shady spots was to keep ultimately to yourself. Don't look at anyone or talk to anyone and one should be fine, prolonged stay however, was not advised, and just like all things that applied to his current lifestyle, he committed himself to not committing to this inn.

The sun had begun to set by the time he considered their work for the day done. The weight of those trees and logs were no laughing matter and it only succeeded in souring his mood further to the point where only the shortest and the most callous of words could exit his mouth. Jigoku never condemned him for his bad attitude however, and instead smiled and said that the heat got to everyone and changed their demeanor. Starrk appreciated his patience. Now it would be a miracle if he could stop coming on to him as well. When they were leaving the place, Jigoku held out his hand to him and reluctantly the ex-mercenary took it, only to pull back his hand in surprise at the amount of money now there. Words were stuck in his throat on what to say, the usual phrase of thanks being blocked by his horrible attitude kept at bay by his tongue, and again the old man had smiled at the conflicting emotions warring behind the ex-mercenary's orbs.

"It's your cut for today. The man who owns the place pays by the day so no one gets stranded for the night if it can't be helped," he turned his back and walked away then, the ox's reign in hand and said beast groaning in irritation, "I'll see you in the morning!" he had said.

Unnerved once more by the recent turn of events he considered the situation he was in and narrowed his brown eyes while looking down at the fan in his hands. He was once again distracted and grimaced at the effectiveness of such a useless object. How the hell was this suppose to cool him off anyway? If he flexed his hand in the slightest he knew it would give and begin to fold without protest. He then figured the catfish woman only gave it to him for the sole purpose of her wrinkled hand brushing over his calloused ones. Starrk had no idea what divine deity was out to get him with all the luck he was having with all the elderly folk, but which ever one it was he wanted to shove the most polite finger he knew of up into the sky so that he/she/it may see and be offended.

With disdain he threw the offensive object and watched it absently as it crumpled, he figured as much. It wouldn't be logical to even attempt to use it when all he had to do was just strip away his yukata, which was nearly ruined and incredibly weighed down from all the sweat that seeped into its folds. He staggered back up to his feet and began with the tie holding it all together, pausing in his actions momentarily to place his sword next to his futon so that he wasn't clumsy in his actions as to drop it and jostle it harshly while it was in its sheath. Once propped in the corner of the room safe, he began to let the front of his teal fabric part and reveal his chest, inch by inch the sweltering flesh was exposed to cooler (at least cooler than the inside of his yukata) air and all he could do was release a heavy sigh of relief. Soon there was a small pool of clothing around his feet to which he kicked near the shoji and he ran both of his hands through his slick locks, grimacing slightly at the length it reached. In an unruly fashion it seemed to curl more out of its usual suave waviness and hung down past the nape of his neck where it stopped right above the top of his back. He would cut it himself if he wasn't so clumsy with simple things like daily maintenance. He hardly considered himself the right person to even run a comb through his wavy locks to keep them the slightest bit maintained, but he did what he had to.

Before Starrk could stop himself, his mind began to wander back to a time where he didn't have a need to worry about his hair or when to cut it, to a time when the simple action was completed by someone else entirely. He halted his thoughts and mind, making everything he was thinking go completely blank and dark, and disregarded any sort of memory that may have came up at the time. He refused to torture himself by going through the years of his life when things used to be good and easy, when things were just handed to him whenever he asked for it. The snap of his fingers and the object of his desire would be in his palms.

He sighed listlessly and shook his head. Thinking about such times would serve him nothing but heartache he didn't have the money to drown in alcohol. Not forcing himself to stand anymore, Starrk repeated his earlier action of slumping on top of his futon once more; grateful that he even had one to lay on for the night (but not so much for the lumpiness of it) and didn't have to force himself to sleep.

—*—

Groggy and watery eyes opened and a noise that Starrk labeled as him groaning registered to his ears sooner than he would've liked. He slept dreamlessly through the night and he figured that much was the start of a lucky day. It was early, that much he could tell by the sound of obnoxious morning birds constantly chirping and obvious movement throughout the medium-sized establishment. His little room that was at most big enough for two people didn't come with a window, so he was completely reliant on his body's natural clock to determine the time of day. Naturally he woke before noon hit and he somewhat hoped Jigoku didn't do too much work without him. A quick image of those stacks of trees and logs popped into the ex-mercenary's head and effectively knocked his earlier worry into oblivion. If he could gauge the old man as well as he thought he could then he knew without a doubt that that old shit would wait until he got there to begin working just so he could watch him sweat out of his clothes. The very thought made his eyebrow twitch and mouth quirk into a scowl. That old coot's antics would have to stop at some point. Besides that he knew he couldn't complain too much about the situation overall. It was good money. Not the most amount of money he's ever made, but it was constant and would be perfect had he'd been looking for a place to settle for a long period of time. However he reminded himself that that was not the plan—not that he really had one, rather, that wasn't part of his normal routine, and what would he be without his routine?

Like Jigoku had once stated, it was true that Starrk never stuck around one place for long. It made him antsy and nervous the longer he stayed in one place, not to mention the bounty on his head was considerably large and any lead on him would be most appreciated by those looking for him. With any luck he would be able to save the small amount of money left over from his work and use that to get by when he did decide to leave, however, that idea fell through considering it would presumably take longer than three days to accumulate the funds that ensured he would be comfortable in the next town he came across. It was an honestly tough situation he faced time and time again every time he was graced with a well paying, steady job. Endanger himself to live comfortably which subsequently meant he would have to hide more and more the longer he stayed, or leave and be forced to the regular squalor he succumbed himself to. It wasn't comfortable at all and one had an obviously higher survival rate than the other. He closed his eyes and sighed. There was no use in presenting the options anymore and he surmised he still did it to let on that he still had a decision in all this knowing that a decision had already been made.

The ex-mercenary yawned while his arm laid across his forehead and to his slight dismay, when he went to move said arm, an annoying pinch of pain shot up the ligament. That officially made him sit up and stretch, which led to his little (not quite so little) friend poking him good morning right below his navel. An eyebrow of his twitched. Of course he would sleep without making proper use of his futon the night before. What would he have done if someone sneaky enough got into his room and did awful things to him whilst he slept?! He shook his head. Unlikely. His body and mind were trained to wake at the slightest external movement in the vicinity that was his area of rest. It's how he stayed alive for so long. People played dirty, mercenaries played dirtier, and bounty hunters were downright unfair, probably because they weren't outright trying to kill the people they captured so they had to try their hands at more underhanded things to get their assignments done.

With ease he rose to his feet, scratching the back of his head and casually walking towards the complimentary yukata most inns offered to their temporary tenants on its stand in the corner of his room. The closer he approached it, the more his memory got foggy as to when the garment got there. He was pretty sure he would've remembered it sitting where it was when he first walked in, but he didn't. His eyebrows scrunched together in confusion for a moment before he shook his head, he probably just missed it when he crashed last night. He thought a bath would be nice and that he should just quickly head to it in case Jigoku really was waiting for him (he hoped not but he probably was). The yukata was of plain material, not very expensive, but felt nice to touch. It was a plain white with silver accents and he could only assume that all the other tenants had the exact same thing. He slipped it on easily and tied the thin obi just enough, mindful of his friend and the thinness of the yukata overall. This led to the fabric hanging off of him enough to expose a great portion of his chest and top of his stomach muscles. Not the look he was going for. He also hoped that he awoke early enough that most of the people inside of the inn were still sleeping. Knowing his life however, there was slim chances of anything going right for him.

His sword lay where he put it the night before and he swiped it up with a familiarity that one may have with an object belonging to a dear friend. He thrust it between the space of his obi and his yukata like he always did and suspected it may cause the rest of the tenants to be wary around him, but he paid that bit no mind. If they were smart they _would_ be wary of him and know not to cause him unwanted attention. There was no trusting where he was nor wherever he went and he wouldn't take any chances. Besides that, he would rather take it with him than try to hide it like an idiot.

He walked towards the shoji and slid it aside, giving the corridor a left and right swoop before walking out. After seeing no one in his general vicinity, he closed it behind himself softly and proceeded to walked down the narrow corridor towards the front of the establishment. The closer to the entrance he got, the more he could smell food being prepared. It made his stomach rumble and remind him just how hungry he was and that he at least needed to eat something before he thought of doing anything else. They were simple dishes the staff was making, he knew, but that didn't make it smell any less delightful than something fancy and over the top would.

Sunlight beamed through the open space that was made into a makeshift restaurant for the tenants that resided inside the inn. There were about eight large tables with six smaller ones for those that didn't wish for company, which happened to apply to half of the people already seated in the room. There was a high bar on the left side of the room that also served as an eating place if one wished to watch the food being prepared or have alcohol poured quickly into their cups. Not many people were sitting there on the account of steam eagerly rushing towards the open windows plus the overbearing scent of spices and ingredients like onions flying into one's face. Overall, the space wasn't very crowded with only twelve or so many people sitting and eating altogether with the exception to one woman that was part of staff frantically taking orders. Ten out of the twelve people were men and the rest women, one with a small child and the other by her lonesome.

Starrk hardly paid anyone else much thought and decided to choose a singular table closest to an open window and near the back corner of the room. He sat down with a languidness and laziness that only came from him being awake and alert yet tired and overwhelmed at the same time. While his appearance to the naked eye may seem similar to someone who didn't have many worries it was nothing short of a far cry in reality and the very thought left him in a brooding and deep mood until he was interrupted by the same frantic woman he saw taking orders moments ago.

"Please forgive me for the wait," she bowed deeply, "what would you like for breakfast?"

The ex-mercenary gave the young girl a once over, portraying nothing on his face as his eyes wandered over her. She couldn't be older than eighteen from what it seemed to him. Her dark hair was pinned up and her eyes were a deep brown. She was a petite sized girl and dressed in the standard staff attire. He could see that he was making her incredibly uncomfortable by staring at her instead of giving her a direct answer to her question (if her completely red face wasn't indicator enough) so he decided to humor the girl and say what he wanted.

"Onigiri."

Her face grew puzzled, "Just onigiri? No tea?"

"That's what I said didn't I?" He didn't mean for that to sound as rude as it did.

The side of her mouth twitched but she bowed anyway, "Of course."

While he watched her leave he could only berate himself inwardly for his less than polite manners. Now he could only hope no one tampered with his food. Mood once more instantly soured, Starrk went back to minding his own business by simply watching passerby's and tenants come and go from the inn. The atmosphere of the place was pleasant for the most part and he wondered if there was anything truly wrong with the place as a whole. If there wasn't, as he assumed the case, then he would consider re-visiting the place after a couple of years had passed and no one would really remembered him. He slid a little in his seat and assumed a comfortable position, relaxing for a little while more before he had to work again, that was until a conversation drifted to his ears in the form of harsh whispers. It was between two young women that worked inside the inn and they happened to join together in the corner behind him at some point. Close enough to be heard by him, but far enough way from others to get the mock privacy that they wanted. It wasn't entirely in him to eavesdrop, no, didn't really have the knack nor the energy to do so, but there he was. They were making it entirely too easy to do so anyway. It was almost annoying and he had half the mind to shoo them off.

"Do you know what I heard today?"

"Something interesting I would hope."

"Interesting indeed! It seems that goman no on'nanoko has drawn blood once again."

Starrk frowned.

"Again? Will she ever be sated? Who was it this time?"

"It was this man that was said to be her lover and—"

Commotion startled the two out of conversation and everyone else as well. Two men in armor strolled into the inn as if they owned it themselves and alarm immediately spurred through Starrk's body; the fight or flight way of thinking making his eyes dart from one armored male to the next. He swiftly checked for insignia and recognized it almost instantaneously: _royalty_. He wasn't so sheltered in his new way of life that he didn't recognize the white tiger when he saw it. It was, at first, gold in honor of the emperor, but at some point it was changed to white as that saying goes about white tigers and such. In his opinion it had been quite the bold statement, to claim oneself as being all true and justified but it had nothing to do with him, and didn't directly impact his life. He couldn't find it in himself to care.

He sucked his teeth and tried to make himself as inconspicuous as possible. He thanked his lucky stars that he was sitting where he was when they arrived as well. Thoughts racing, he wondered where the hell they had come from and why they were there. Either he had done something horrible while he was drunk and somehow caught the attention of the royal family or those bulky fools were breaking every single protocol made specifically for them for a quick buck on the side without the emperor's knowledge. He was just some lowly no-name ex-mercenary anyway with a large bounty on his head in their eyes, what did someone like the emperor care that a few of his lackeys disobeyed him from the thousands that would die for him?

Mindless chatter arose amongst the crowd that had already gathered as they wondered what was happening and why such important men happened to be there. Starrk could only glare at the two as he sunk further into his seat, cursing their very existence. He recognized the old woman that owned the inn approach them and ask them the reason for their presence to which they responded by handing her a small scroll. She gave it a questionable look before grasping it and reading over the writing swiftly. Her expression turned from one of confusion, then annoyance, and then soft reluctance before she rolled the scroll back up and handed it back to the armored guard, whom looked at her expectantly. She seemed hesitant, but she turned and called for someone who was working back in the kitchens, the name Hinamori rolling off her tongue like a sad scolding. This summoning immediately conjured the image of the meek girl that served Starrk earlier. At the sight of the tall halberds, gauntlets, and shin guards the young girl seemed to cower and recede into herself—as was her nature. She did nothing as they walked on either side of her, seized her up by her arms, and with little effort, swept her away like a broom with dust. In these kinds of situations, which Starrk noted were surprisingly common, most people—smart people, didn't say anything towards the actions that took place and more or less went on their merry way with the rest of their day. However the event would take root in the back of their minds and grow there, filling that little space with burning curiosity and a taste for swift and harsh revenge. The others that didn't let their mind have the opportunity to harvest such thoughts were made blissfully unaware of the emotions that came with such dangerous ideals. Starrk had stopped fighting for justice a long time ago, realizing that the fight was very much so a war that he would never and could never win. More than that it showed him its open jaws and gaping appetite for lifestyles and loved ones. Back then...he practically tossed both into its mouth with a smile on his face.

He stood from his seat once he was sure that the guards were gone and made a beeline for his room, his appetite swept away like that Hinamori girl.

* * *

 **A/N: I've discovered Billie Holiday and now I'm officially tired. As far as the goman no o'nak—whatever the fuck. It means like torture woman, or a woman who likes to torture if Google hasn't completely failed me as of yet. The next installment shouldn't be too far behind this one so...fingers crossed.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I just want to sincerely thank all my readers of this story line for letting me continuously make a fool out of myself on this site, you guys really look out for me. The fact that Google told me that Nnoitora's name is actually spelled Nnoitra before you guys did leaves me wondering if the bulk of you (the small bulk of you—not that I'm complaining) are out to sabotage me. Either you guys don't really care for the character so much as to stand up for the spelling of his name, didn't know that I was indeed speaking of the fifth espada and might've thought I was speaking of some brand new filler character I made up, or wasn't paying attention, or perhaps all three. Either way...you guys are mean and you left me all by my lonesome to swim in the waters of ignorance and shame. Thanks :D**

* * *

"The loneliest moment in someone's life is when they are watching

their whole world fall apart, and all they can do

is stare blankly."

-F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby.

* * *

The beaming sun rained down its scorching attention upon the backs of two men that were bent at the waist, hacking away at unsuspecting tree logs; an ox not too far from them completely enjoying itself in the shade on the side. It was close to mid-afternoon and the two men hadn't been working long enough to even consider themselves close to earning the rest they so desperately wanted at the moment. One of the two men was having a significantly easier time at hacking away the unnecessary branches and thick logs than the other and it was only because he didn't stop every thirteen seconds to complain and moan about his aching joints and back. When said older male wasn't throwing the most cringeworthy sexual fronts known to man at the younger male, he was whining about his lack of youth and lost years. If the younger man weren't so tired and miserable then he probably would've punched him straight in the throat just to shut him up, but his temper had cooled swiftly throughout the years he'd been living and he found that ignoring certain situations sometimes makes them go away.

"Did you hear about what the duchess did?"

Starrk wasn't interested in what the old man had to say at this point. His arms were sore, small muscle tears littered across his whole body, and his thighs hurt from squatting and lifting so many damned logs and were about to nearly give out from overuse. Not to mention the fact that his palms were being attacked by splinters every time he picked something wooden up. Now was certainly not the time to hear about the ever-lasting beauty of the duchess or the empress or whoever the hell else that had money and influence.

One slight glare in Jigoku's direction was enough to make him take pause and smile awkwardly, effectively cutting off whatever he was going to say. Starrk returned to his high pile of logs and lifted one up that was by his foot. He hauled it over his shoulder and kept it there with one arm while the other reached down to grasp the axe he stuck in the ground, couldn't have either of them tripping and impaling themselves on it could they? (Although he may not have minded Jigoku meeting his ironic end)

Speaking of impaling, Starrk delighted himself in fantasies about ramming Jigoku through with a spear and other sharp objects while said man delighted in his own fantasies about impaling the vagabond with something else, but neither of them noticed the small group of men gradually making their way towards them. There were five of them with barely concealed weapons while the shortest one in the front (the group's leader the commoners assumed) led them through the parting sea of bystanders. Mothers quickly made an exit while men that didn't particularly care to see any altercations left without so much as a glance behind them. Pretty soon it was little more than a ghost town in the small area except for the few onlookers that knew violence would surely occur.

Multiple pairs of feet stopped in front of Starrk's view and he let out a long winded sigh, Jigoku was enough on his own. His eyes met multiple pairs and it only took him one glance to figure them all out. Jigoku on the other hand looked like he was about to have a field day. There was an over abundance of good-looking men in his vicinity and he nearly couldn't handle it. The jangle of chains caught the elder man's attention and all of a sudden the group of men in front of them weren't so cute anymore.

He let go of whatever was in his hands and took a couple of wary steps back. There was nothing about him that screamed he was a fighter and he figured the men smirking at them knew that. Jigoku at least hoped that whatever they wanted wasn't too far out of reach so they could just give it to them and they can move on. Nothing was worth more than a human life in his opinion.

The tree Starrk held atop his shoulders was easily let go and landed on the ground with a hard thud while the axe remained in his tight grasp. His sword laid strapped to the lazy beast's side where it was hidden from the group of thugs, nevertheless, he knew where his weapon was should he ever need it and judging from the characters in front of him, he wouldn't need to use it. Strategies that involved heads and limbs being hacked off crossed Starrk's mind at a speed that would surprise anyone, but what didn't were the questions that idled by. Where the hell had these guys come from? They hadn't been following him this whole time were they? Was that one guy seriously giving Jigoku the eyes? What the hell do they even want?! He had much more work to do and more money to earn!

His dark brown eyes were trailing over all of their heads when one of their faces struck him as familiar. He couldn't put his finger on it but there was something about the short man leading them that reminded him of the past he was trying to leave behind. Starrk narrowed his eyes in slight fury at the prospect of a loose end somewhere. Loose ends meant that he would never truly be able to escape and he was doing just fine with his present life. The one thing he could count as being a good thing in this situation is that he wouldn't have to chase this loose end around. It came to him.

"Anything I can help you all with?" He asked while straightening up to his full height and eyeing the weapons they had, "I'm not done working yet and I don't have time for idle conversation."

The five men minus their leader began to encircle the two of them to lessen their chances of escape. Starrk watched them languidly but otherwise made no move that hinted towards aggression. He wanted his assumptions to be correct before he made any kind of moves. The only thing that slightly worried him was the fact that one, he was not alone and two, one of the five men had a bow and arrow on him and no one carried those without knowing how to use them.

Starrk's attention was returned to the short man in front of him as soon as he decided to open his mouth.

"As you can see," He gestured to the men surrounding them, "we're not here for idle chit-chat."

The ex-mercenary was quick to respond, "It doesn't seem like this is a simple robbery either."

Starrk could only raise an eyebrow when the short man feigned surprise and slight dismay.

"I'm offended. With all the little meetings you've had with my associates over the years I would've thought you'd figured out who I was by now."

Starrk's eyes narrowed into icy slits. There was always someone after him, someone trailing him, and the mastermind behind all of that was standing in front of him. He's a fool for showing his face to Starrk now. He'll never forget it.

The vagabond figured there would always be someone looking for him because of his past, but they wouldn't come for him so quickly one after another unless heavily motivated to do so. This also meant that the money this man was offering to whatever bounty hunter he came across dwarfed the original price the bounty on his head was. This was the kind of crazy money that made the men after him so aggressive. He also figured some of this was partially his fault considering he had stayed in this little town for far too long in the first place, but in his opinion he had good reason. He had known the risk of actually getting a job and didn't care because of the benefits. Apparently it was a mistake and one he wouldn't make again. Speaking of mistakes, the men around him probably decided that he wouldn't get violent with the small amount of people watching them. This was a notion that he hailed true considering he was no longer the same man that went around cutting down innocent bystanders (for a price) and leaving a trail of bodies in his wake. What they didn't account for was that he would do what he had to if his hand was forced, especially if cornered.

He surmised that the five men surrounding him and Jigoku weren't of the honorable type and were likely to turn Yuna into a bloodbath if they were to escape them right now. The bulk of them would play on his changed stripes, thinking that since he no longer killed people for money and notoriety that he must be trying to be a good person when that was far from the truth. The only thing that changed about him was the fact that he no longer saw the point in aimlessly killing others. Needless to say, if his position was ever compromised or in jeopardy he wouldn't hesitate to put an end to that person.

"So it's safe to assume you're the one sending person after person after me."

The man smirked, "I doubt it's been a comfortable three years for you."

Starrk's jaw locked a little, "My mind has been wondering about you ever since you appeared. Jog my memory."

This seemed to anger the short man and it was apparent in the noticeable twitch near his mouth. With this simple motion, the ex-mercenary placed a name to his face in a rush of memories from his past.

 _All he saw was blood. A frightening amount of it covered his hands and the hilt of his sword as well as his face and neck. The rank smell of it cloaked his entire body and if he breathed through his mouth he could taste it. It caked under his fingernails and dried into a sort of paste that chafed against the palm of his hand and the handle of his sword. The rest of it was still wet and made his yukata and strands of his hair stick to his flesh. He was lucky enough that none of it sprayed in his eyes but unfortunate enough for it to spray everywhere else._

 _His dark brown eyes were nearly blank as they stared at the bodies that lay about. They were toppled over each other in heaps of disorganization. The eyes of the men he killed were soulless in his perception. Their pupils weren't able to be seen due to their eyes rolling back when they died. In their pain and terror, their horrifying expressions stayed on their faces._

 _The murderer's eyes flicked over to the front of the room as yet another dead man laid in a puddle of his own blood. This one was special. Unlike everyone else that had different kind of stab wounds that resulted in their deaths, this person died from a completely different manner altogether: disembowelment. There were no words for how much Starrk hated that man and it showed in the way he killed him. The entry wounds were jagged and twisted, ensuring the most amount of pain, while the exit wounds were nothing short of barbaric as he shoved the tanto he had tried to use against him in his stomach over and over again. Even when the man's limbs were flailing about trying to pry him off he didn't stop his harsh stabbing. Not even when the man's form slumped altogether his actions didn't cease until innards were brushing the floor boards._

 _A sharp gasp interrupted his moment of reverie and he immediately whirled around. His sword was ready and held against the offender's throat as the mercenary registered whom he was about to exterminate at the last minute. The person on the other end of his blade couldn't be older than fifteen and was the younger brother of the man he disemboweled. His name escaped Starrk's tunnel mind as he stared down at him and for a moment he had to remind himself how surprising it was to see this boy around. He was an adolescent just on the verge of manhood and nowhere near experienced enough at life to be as involved in his brother's dealings as he was. It was due to family association that he was in so deep in the first place._

 _The young boy's eyes were wide and comprehension of all the blood surrounding them was far too advanced for him. A monster truly stood in front of him. What made it worse for him was the fact that the gaze on Starrk's face was neither shaken nor regretful, but purely calculative. It was as if he was completely in his element and belonged in places like this than anywhere else._

 _The adolescent was frozen in place, completely overcome with fear. Starrk frowned, admonishing him mentally for freezing up in the face of certain death. A reaction like this would surely kill him one day. With the way him and his brother (plus himself) were running rampant through the countryside, there were undoubtedly many people out for their lives. Did his brother teach him nothing? Then again there was nothing to teach. With his brother there with him there was nothing for the younger brother to fear and with Starrk there with them there was nothing for his elder brother to fear, however that was a mistake. He had trusted the quiet, short-tempered male with his life and as soon as he let his guard down Starrk snuffed him out. The life of the boy was in the mercenary's hands and he made his decision in less than a second._

Starrk replaced the short man's hard angry eyes with young frightened ones and his body with a skinnier adolescent one and saw the same boy from years ago. He had half the mind to kill him back then. He was just on the verge of madness and recklessness and it wouldn't have sat on his conscious for very long if that man was added to the long list of people he killed but he still hesitated. That was reason enough for him to walk away. If he ever thought twice about killing someone he wouldn't go through with it. It was how he lived and survived. Sometimes it made him enemies and sometimes it made him friends. Either way he lived by that method of thinking to this very day.

A part of him wondered vaguely if he looked any different to the man in front of him after some years passed by. Had he haunted his dreams when he slept as a boy? Was his every waking moment filled with thoughts of him and vengeance? The dormant, sadist, side of him swelled in delight but he quickly reigned that part of himself in with a harsh yank.

The man in front of him was now a loose end that he had to get rid of.

"You killed my brother in cold blood and then have the gall to forget about me?!—"

"No I haven't forgotten about you, _Hideo-san_ ," the vagabond cut in with a disturbingly calm tone, "your face was lost in the seas of my mind with all the others but due to association it didn't take long for me to remember you. I _spared_ you."

It unsettled Hideo to see the murderer of his brother staring at him solely despite the fact that the monster was surrounded by some of the best bounty hunters of the land. It also angered him to be reminded that the only reason he was still standing to this day was because of the mercy the murderer had given to him. There was something dark and sadistic floating around in the vagabond's eyes and he didn't like it one bit. It was almost as if he knew something that would derail him for the rest of his life.

Unknowing to him, Starrk did know such information.

"Which was a mistake on your part. I _will_ avenge my brother."

Starrk's eyes narrowed in annoyance, "You would avenge someone who is responsible for the death of your bloodline?"

The ex-mercenary watched as Hideo's eyes widened in disbelief and his jaw clench hard enough to put some serious strain on the muscles in his throat.

"Liar."

"Am I?" Starrk took one step towards the shaking man, "would you like me to prove it to you?"

The shine of a blade nearly blinded Starrk as he found the end of it directed towards his face. One wrong move and the tip would meet the surface of his eye. How such a short man was able to reach his face he would never know and how that same short man's hand could remain so steady while being so close to someone's eye was also unknown to him.

"Why would I ever believe the words of a murderer?!"

The ex-mercenary said nothing as he only continued to stare the shorter male down. There was no talking to someone when they got this way. Vengeance was the only thing Hideo had ever known besides his elder brother and he was in too deep to turn back now.

"How did you do it?" The shakiness in his voice could be heard to all that listened. He had trapped this monster thinking he would be able to kill him without any emotion just as he had killed his brother.

"You'll have to be more specific than that."

The blade edged closer still and the vagabond's pupils dilated. The small tip of the dagger suddenly looked huge and any closer and Starrk would be without an eye.

"Don't play stupid with me coward!"

Starrk's arm moved about an inch before he stopped in his tracks. The familiar sound of an arrow being released from its bow made him stiffen and he realized quite quickly that he had a lot more to be worried about other than himself. It was a warning shot clearly, the end of the arrow was embedded into the ground near his foot to prove it, and just the thought of Jigoku getting caught up in something that he never ended was beginning to plague him with guilt. He decided then to give the man the answers he sought.

"You were there when it all happened," He spoke slowly, as if Hideo would never understand his actions and way of thinking, "you saw me gut your brother like a fish."

Maybe those were the wrong choice of words, but it didn't matter what Starrk said because Hideo's next couple of actions were inevitable. The man's eyes grew wide and his wrist flicked suddenly making Starrk move his head back at the last minute. As soon as Hideo's lackeys saw that blood was officially drawn, they took their chance to attack. A sharp, blinding pain and a rush of warm liquid quickly made Starrk shut his eye in fear of blood getting inside but not before batting the shorter man in front of him away with the blunt side of the axe he still held in his hand. Hideo cried out as he fell to the ground with blood running from his temple and onto the dirt beneath him. His head and vision swam as he struggled to keep his eyes on the multiple images of the vagabond trying to defend himself from the other men that were there.

One guy rushed toward Starrk, a short tanto in his hands, and made to cut off his head from his shoulders. The wide arc of his reckless swipe was his downfall as the vagabond leaned back and stuck his foot out to trip the man forward. Now falling and dropping his weapon simultaneously, the man's arms flailed, and Starrk shoved the palm of his hand straight into his nose. A sickening crunch sounded off as a wail erupted from the man's throat before he fell to the ground and rolled in place.

Two others circled around the man on the ground but Starrk was quicker, punching one in the throat and making him gag, and smacking the other over the head with the blunt side of the axe. With one on the ground bleeding from the head and the other struggling to breathe and crashing into someone else, one of the last two leaped over his comrade and made to lunge at Starrk's throat. The momentum from his speed was the end of him as he rammed his face straight into Starrk's well-aimed elbow and was punched in the head as he went down.

A quick _twang_ was all the vagabond needed to hear before he moved in a random direction suddenly and was met with sharp pain coming from the back of his shoulder. He stumbled forward slightly from the force and grunted in pain but had enough sense to return the favor and throw the axe that was still in his hand at the nuisance of a man quickly trying to shoot another arrow at him. Hitting its mark hard, the bladed part of the axe nearly split the man's forehead in two as his lifeless body fell to its knees and then onto the ground.

Starrk grimaced and gritted his teeth as he felt that familiar wet, clammy splotch of blood seep through his hakama and show on the outer layer. A quick and slight shrug of the injured shoulder let him know all he needed to about the wound he sported. Because he moved so suddenly, the arrow didn't have a chance to go all the way through his body and was stuck inside of him. The tail end of the arrow jutted up and out from his back and was the only indicator to others that he was actually hit. He was still high from the adrenaline he had and wasn't feeling any pain at the moment, but he knew he would later. He decided then and there before that happened he would get the hell outta dodge.

He turned and saw what little left of the onlookers that watched the entire ordeal scatter like roaches to sudden light and inwardly he sighed. It wouldn't be long before word of his actions spread like wildfire. Better do this quickly. He walked towards the dead bow and arrow man and grasped the handle for the axe without a second thought. He pulled with his uninjured, but non-dominant arm and with a little bit of force he wrenched the blade from the man's skull. Starrk stepped away before the blood shot up from the wound periodically like a geyser before settling and draining onto the ground. A frown settled onto his face at the sight before he turned and began to make his way towards his sword, which he had attached to the hide of the beast for somewhat of a safe keeping.

While he was unstrapping the belt that held his sword in place, he couldn't help but let his once languid gestures turn rigid and then rough. Something in the back of his mind burned furiously and he knew all too well what it was. It was heavy and it rank with the stench of all of his failures. He gritted his teeth behind his tightly pressed lips and began to curse his name and entire existence inwardly. It was far from his intentions to kill those men, if anything, he had only wished to knock them unconscious harshly enough to where they would think twice about coming after him again but his emotions got the best of him and something in him was shouting that his way of thinking was unrealistic. They would always keep coming for him as long as someone like Hideo kept paying them. It showed that he at least tried to spare the men that came with Hideo considering he only really killed two of them. Apparently he was only bred to kill even if he tried not to.

His anger surged at the thought that all of this was because he didn't tie up loose ends and as soon as he had his sword in his hands he was prepared to fix that. He turned with the sheath and weight of his sword held tightly in his hand and immediately looked for Hideo where he saw him last, which was on the ground, but then he noticed that the exact spot where he was suppose to be, he wasn't. Starrk sighed deeply and muttered a curse beneath his breath as he wondered about where such a short, portly man could've gone that fast. Of course he would leave when the tide began to turn on him. His brother was the same way.

Footsteps approached him and immediately Starrk swiveled around to see who it was. Jigoku didn't sport any wounds despite being among the fray while Starrk fought, but the wariness in his eyes showed the ex-mercenary just how startled he was because of the ordeal. If he wasn't harmed physically, he was definitely harmed mentally. He seemed like the type to never stick around long enough to watch a fight or altercation occur, but in this case he had nowhere else to go. A slow sinking feeling filled the vagabond's chest as he avoided the elder man's eyes and refused to look anywhere in the man's general direction. He knew this feeling well.

"I knew there was more to you than what you told me," Jigoku glanced at the men sprawled around them, "this is probably what makes you so reclusive. So unwilling to connect with others unless you have to."

It wasn't a question and even if it was, Starrk wouldn't have been able to answer it truthfully. There may have been a time where he truly felt that way, but he didn't now. He longed for company and companionship but he knew that everything and everyone he touched turned into a puddle of blood shortly after. What good would they be then? Besides that, he killed the last person he had that relationship with anyway. Despite his conflicted emotions, the vagabond shot the elder man a sharp look for prying in the first place. He figured it was common knowledge that when someone didn't bring something up it was probably because the piece of information was private or painful. In this case, it was both and then some.

"It's time for me to go."

He grit his teeth through the pain as he reached for his sword and stashed it inside of his obi. He had every intention to leave that man there with the ox and the dead men just a little bit beyond. It would be suicide to stay when he knew there were probably high end officials still around.

He had to survive and keep his way of life.

"You can't leave sporting a wound like that."

Starrk shook his head, "I've dealt with much worse believe me."

"I don't doubt that you have but Kioshi is north of here and closer to the capital as well as two days on foot for travel and south of here, Shohan, is ridden with thieves and assassins, while I'm sure you're capable of handling yourself—"

Jigoku pumped the brakes once he saw Starrk's hand come up. This had been the first time the younger male had asked him for his silence without snarling at him to shut up and quickly the elder male had given it to him.

"I've realized a long time ago that my mere presence means the endangerment of those around me," The vagabond looked at Jigoku to make sure he was understood, "this includes you."

The elder man didn't say anything for a moment while sporting a frown on his face. He was severely displeased with the sullened look of acceptance on Starrk's face.

"I'm still alive aren't I?" At the look of quick surprise on the younger man's face, he continued, "and I'm still here."

Starrk was confused, absolutely baffled. They had only known each other for a week at most and here this old man was with some odd look of determination on his face and telling him he would stick around for whatever may come forth. Was he some kind of idiot?

Starrk's nostrils flared in anger as he stared down at the man in front of him, he disliked stubborn people or those that didn't know when it was best for them to bow out, "I'm telling you—"

"And I'm telling you we are going to the next town over as soon as physically possible and leaving this place behind!"

The vagabond's paranoia began to settle as an imaginary ticking noise representing the passage of time spurred him into making a quick decision. He would not be responsible for this man's life and he would be damned if he created another bond, however small it was, with someone else only for him to destroy it all further down the line.

He turned on his heel and began moving in the direction he knew to be the less populated path to leave the small town. The stench of death and blood were still lingering on his clothes.


	7. Chapter 7

_"I don't care that they respect me so long as they fear me."_

-Caligula

* * *

Dinner brought the imperial family together that night and a decently sized, low sitting table separated them from each other while they feasted on extravagant food. Four, armored guards equipped with halberds and sheathed swords stood in all four corners of the room silently, while two out of the three Trifecta stood on the side of the room their general sat, neither speaking a word but both staring at the scene in front of them with less than piqued interest. At the head of the table of course sat the emperor and the empress by his side (along with her annoying hand-maidens that sat dutifully off to the side of her—a total of five of them), while their children sat on opposite sides of the table. Orihime sat on their father's side while Sora sat on their mother's. It was by no means an awkward dinner, though it started and usually ended in silence, but this particular night was filled with noise.

The first groan started about twenty minutes after the first course of food had arrived for them, then the second once Orihime had taken her first bite, but the third never came as a sudden shriek of terror rang up from the floor and spread throughout the room like an alarm. The sound frightened the maidens and made them cower, the guards tensed and tightened their hold on their weapons, both men of the Trifecta looked around with their eyes questionably for the source of the noise and eventually found it, the empress frowned, the emperor gazed at one of the drains in the corner of the room slightly in thought, the archduke's eyebrows knitted together in what was a displeased expression, while the archduchess continued to eat without pause. The shriek was shortly lived and didn't last for more than five seconds, the silence that ensued afterwards made some relax in the absence of it but that shortly lived as well as the next fifteen minutes was taken up by the most blood-curdling screams anyone had ever heard. It made the hairs on the back of everyone's necks, minus the emperor's and archduchess's, rise up. It was also accompanied with crying and pleas for mercy as well as obscenities that made some of the maiden's color and others grow pale.

The emperor had already started to eat which in turn prompted the rest of his family to do so as well, but hadn't continued when the screaming first started, wondering why it sounded familiar to him. He stared at the drain and tried to draw on his memory while he went over the reasoning for the drain even being there. It made it easier for the peasants when it came to cleaning, but that wasn't the original reason why the drains were specifically built in all the corners of the room including the center. It took him some time but he remembered when the drains were first installed considering they hadn't been there before and neither the rooms connected to them. Aizen had just been part of the court then and couldn't figure it out until one of the commoners made the dastardly mistake of insulting the emperor of his cruel intentions and was subsequently tortured in one of the rooms built below the dining room. The previous emperor nearly basked in the heinous noises and seemed quite pleased with the idea of creating such rooms for that purpose and it disgusted Aizen then, as it did now. He originally made to have the drains and the rooms itself abandoned and never used again when he stole the throne, but he wanted a reminder of the previous emperor and decided that the rooms would be one of them since they were a representation of what that man was: rotten and unnecessarily cruel. So of course it said something to him when his daughter used it. He wouldn't say anything aloud, especially in front of her precious Trifecta—she would've gotten defensive, but he would get the truth out of her like he usually did. She could lie all she wanted to her mother and brother, they would believe her, but she could never lie to him and expect him to not see through it.

He could remember the times when Orihime and Sora were children and they hated this room. Whenever Aizen would gather them up in the room for dinner, they would hear the moans and cries of prisoners below them as a backdrop for their otherwise silent gathering. The frightened children didn't know where the sound was coming from so their little minds conjured stories of ghosts and demons for an otherwise explainable phenomenon. Aizen would more or less coddle them by saying nothing would ever hurt them while he was around to protect them and sure enough it made eating in the room easier for them and they whimpered less. Eventually the sounds were far and in between one another, hardly ever being heard again, that and the fact that this particular dining room was one of many reserved just for them.

Aizen considered the placement of the dungeons and cellars below them completely inappropriate and were hardly ever used for that reason, but also because he would rather the offender be toted elsewhere considering they were no longer worthy enough to be permitted within the imperial grounds in his eyes. He only had the dungeons used when the prisoner had committed an act against any member of the royal family that infringed upon him personally, which was slim to none. However, this was a known fact to his children and that sort of knowledge made him wonder why exactly his daughter had whoever that man is down there.

The emperor cut his gaze over to his wife and saw the twitching of her lips, a tell-tale sign of her impending anger and he decided then and there that he would intervene before she did, "Dearest daughter," her fiery-head head immediately lifted and she stopped eating, "how about you send one of your men to see what he can do about the noise. Hmm?"

The tone of his voice made it sound like what he was asking for was a simple suggestion, but the hard gaze he was giving her was anything but. A slight frown began to mar her face and he rose his eyebrow at her as if to question if she would really defy him right here and right now. It was rare for him to force his hand with her considering he usually let her have her way, but this is something he would not allow and he would force her to listen to him if he had to.

His daughter locked eyes with him awhile longer, silver eyes crashing against deep and knowing brown ones before breaking contact and locking her jaw. She seemed to be adamant on leaving the two down there alone but nevertheless beckoned to one of her men with the sharp flick of her hand. Nnoitra approached immediately, his strides long and strong as he was by her side soon after she called. Aizen noted his impressive height as he had to kneel down to her level and then lean forward so she could speak softly into his ear. He noted their close proximity that wasn't exactly intimate per se but familiar all the same and watched as Nnoitra's long, black strands of hair brushed his daughter's cheek as he stood to his feet. The leader of the Trifecta regarded all of the imperial family individually and bowed at the hip before leaving the room completely. Aizen returned his attention back to Orihime and he could see the silent anger brewing in the storm of her eyes. Slightly amused, he wondered again what had her so hell bent on torturing a single man. Maybe he offended her in some way. Nevertheless she never came to him with her complaints.

"What has he done?"

The question came from his son and it was being directed towards himself. Of course he wouldn't automatically think his sister was the reason why there was a man underneath him being tortured to death.

Aizen, the emperor, regarded the young man with slight amusement, "I do not know. It was not I who put him there."

In the corner of his eye he could see Orihime bristle and shoot him a quick accusatory look that her mother somehow seemed to miss. Instead of outright calling her out he let her brother come up with his own conclusions, making the reveal a bit bigger than it needed to be.

"Then you mother?" Sora questioned next.

Said woman's beautiful hair shimmered as she shook her head gently, casting her own daughter with a pointed look, "Your father would've seen to it that whoever offended me or any of us for that matter would be killed on sight, not mindlessly tortured until they died in their own filth. He is not so... _barbaric_."

The emperor didn't miss the disapproving tone in his wife's voice and knew where the conversation would be headed to next. He only wished they didn't have an audience, as quiet as they were, and would've sent them away if he didn't need them. Chopsticks were calmly placed on the table and he could see his daughter trying to reign in her darkened anger.

"Father," She shut her eyes as a sneer crossed her face, "may I retire to my quarters? It seems as though I've lost my appetite."

"No." He told her simply.

Her eyes opened and narrowed at him and he could only stare back at her, wondering if she would scream at him while others were present. Meanwhile, Sora gave his sister a disapproving stare.

"I thought we talked about this," Orihime's head immediately snapped to Sora's face, "torture, swords, fighting, you're the Archduchess of the most powerful territory in the land and instead of getting married and bearing offspring you're more interested in battlefields that have no place for you."

Her nose flared in fury, but she somehow managed to keep her voice level, "Please do not place the limits you have of yourself onto me, _brother_."

Sosuke's eyebrow rose in amusement at his daughter's words and he could tell Rangiku was having trouble trying not to be amused herself despite her disapproval of the whole situation. Her slightly smirking face was hidden behind her large sleeve.

Sora's face darkened as his sister openly attacked his pride in front of their father, whom he idolized, "I'd watch what you say _little sister_ ," he sneered, "you may look up one day and find your precious Trifecta gone."

Her fingertips gripped the very edge of the table as the air filled with hostility. The open threat towards her three trusted men was the biggest she ever chose to receive, and even the commoners knew to never mention the Trifecta with negativity in her presence, "That's quite presumptuous of you to even consider that you would ever have the strength to rid of them yourself," She seethed, "such big words for a _small_ man."

The atmosphere around them turned as cold as the armor the guards standing around the room wore. Orihime's short fuse was a problem ever since she was a small child. Her mother truly thought it wasn't normal and once had her evaluated by a doctor. Before she possessed the Trifecta her anger was explosive and terrifying. She would rage at anyone that offended her and would immediately sentence that person to death no matter their position or title. There was no such thing as a soft punishment to her. An option such as that one made no sense to her.

 _"You can't kill everyone, Byakko," Even though her father said this, there was still a slightly amused smile on his face, "some of these people are of great use to you and may provide a better shield than others."_

 _Angry, silver orbs peered up at her father incredulously, "Why give that person another chance to live and make another mistake?"_

 _Rangiku watched their conversation from the safety of the shadows at the mouth of a corridor, the torch on the wall only illuminating the fiery head of the young archduchess and the deep brown head of the middle-aged emperor. She stood behind her husband's back and away from the sharp eyes of their daughter._

 _He was knelt down to her eye level with his hand on her head. He rubbed small circles into her scalp and looked down at her with a fondness he only rarely showed his own wife._

 _"Everyone deserves a second chance." He told her._

 _His response made the young girl frown and shake her head a little, "Then it would infringe upon you should they mess up that second chance, father."_

 _This statement seemed to make him take pause and lean back a little as if in thought, "I would suppose it does, Byakko, but how would that harsh decision make you look to the commoners you rule over?"_

 _She thought for a moment before immediately coming to find her answer, "Like a ruler. One that isn't taken lightly and is feared and respected."_

 _He sucked in a little breath, wondering where she could've gotten these ideas from, "You're right about them fearing you, but if they don't come to love you, they will one day turn against you and wait to strike out when you are the weakest and all you had ever worked for would be for naught."_

 _His eyes had shown with seriousness and remembrance. That was exactly how he had led the rebellion in the first place and overthrew the previous emperor, however, her cruel logic reminded him of someone he used to know but couldn't place. A part of him had an idea of who it was lingering along the borders of his sub-conscious mind but the rest of him refused to acknowledge the presence._

 _Even after the entire conversation it was still apparent that Orihime didn't understand (or rather didn't want to) and instead of sticking around to attempt to do so, she went back to her chambers and stayed there for the rest of the night. Her silvery hues seemed to stare into his very soul as she backed away from him and into the darkness of the opposite corridor where only the soft padding of her small feet could be heard. Those eyes stayed in his mind even after she left and he dreamed of them that night; those eyes that were so unlike his own._

 _Her father stayed in that kneeling position for a while before standing. His robes slightly brushed the floors and was outlined in gold. The waves in his brown hair were in slight disarray from rousing out of his sleep earlier and his feet were bare as he continued to stand there._

 _"She will one day grow out of such a way of thinking," He had told her as he continued to watch the spot his daughter once stood, "our daughter's heart has been hardened by something I perhaps will never know during the rest of my lifetime. Knowing this makes me fear for her."_

 _Assuming her presence had already been detected, Rangiku ventured from the shadows and into the dim lighting of the torch. Her own fiery hair was in a low ponytail and trailed down her back while her wavy bangs framed the sides of her face. The usual graceful posture she upheld was all but lost in the safety of the corridors connecting the royal bedrooms to the rooms of their children on opposite sides of the palace._

 _As of now they were on the right side, where the sun will soon shine through the top windows of the wall but was all dark for now. The opposite side of the palace where her brother slept was illuminated by the moon._

 _The empress hugged her arms closer to her body which suggested to her husband that she was cold but in reality she was a wreck with memories of the past and emotions she had long left behind in a time where she was the most unhappy, "Those kinds of thoughts and ideals don't just go away so easily."_

 _Sosuke watched her steadily. He stood so still and so formally that she almost believed he knew the real source of her anxiety. The way his eyes looked down at her made her sun-kissed flesh crawl with fear that he had to have known, but his next words reassured her that he did not._

 _"How could you be so sure? She's only eight." He turned away from her and walked into the shadows that she had previously left from, "come back to bed."_

 _She stood under the torch light a moment longer than she should've and glanced at the spot she saw her daughter standing in and felt the rush of memories flood back to her. She clutched her arms tighter to herself and covered her mouth to swallow her despair. Tears gathered in the corner of her eyes and without any sort of pause to her gait she hurried back to the warm side of her husband._

She was reminded of that night every time Orihime ordered something harsh for actions so small. Simple mistakes would invoke a wrath like no other in her and orders of death and torture would follow soon after. It was why her father was so lenient with how close she got to her Trifecta. He believed that the men teaching her how to fight and even allowing her to battle was relieving her fury via violence against those that actually deserved it for more serious crimes. But Rangiku feared that soon Orihime would figure out that those crimes were relative in consideration to who was looking at them. Once she learned that, she would dish out her own version of punishment to anyone that slightly offended her except she would have a sword in her hands.

It was a thought process like this that made Rangiku snatch away from her own daughter as if she were a monster. When Orihime was much younger she would attack other children that tried to play with her as well as anyone that she ordered to take care of her while she had business to attend to. Any dolls she was given were torn apart and anything that looked remotely feminine that was near her was destroyed beyond repair. Her father continued to coddle her and excuse any strange behavior because he favored her for some reason or another. He would make up excuses that he expected Rangiku to abide by and she would but in reality she abhorred the entire situation. Her mindset was so different from theirs and the empress would make no moves to find out what until she had to. One thing she was grateful for was that her daughter wasn't born a boy because if that were the case she would have even more power than what she already did and would succeed in having her elder brother rule over a kingdom of corpses.

The empress returned to the situation at hand when she heard Sora speak in a tone he didn't usually take.

"I'll show you _small_." He growled threateningly.

All of the maidens that were in the room covered their mouths and looked at each other uncertainly, while some of the guards shuffled awkwardly. The last male of the Trifecta left seemed amused at most but largely unaffected.

"That's enough," Sosuke said, finally putting a stop to something he had created in the first place, "if you wish to ' _Hime_ you may leave."

As soon as the words left his mouth she rose quickly and spun on her heel without so much as a glance back at them, the rest of her food going unnoticed and discarded. The last of her Trifecta stepped aside for her to pass him and he then bowed to the rest of the royal family in a somewhat lazy manner and languidly followed after her. The guards surrounding the doors to their dining room parted like seas to let them through and one of them noticeably shivered as the archduchess stormed past him with an angry glare. The doors were shut quietly behind the two and the room was silent again except for the sound of chopsticks clinking against porcelain due to the emperor resuming his meal.

 **A/N: This was late. Extremely late. Just like the updates to my other stories.**

 _Byakko - white tiger_


	8. Chapter 8

"Death is the solution to all problems. No man—no problem." — Joseph Stalin

* * *

It was public knowledge that the Trifecta were more than Orihime's personal guard but her entourage as well. Wherever she went, if not one or two or all three, they went with her. Places that had no chances of her being attacked or kidnapped were places they went to as well. She favored them greatly and it showed in the colors they adorned when in her presence, which was constant.

Most of their people were awed and fascinated by the three man group. It was a position that was immediately sought after once a spot was open and it was tough competition to achieve. They were the fascination of all young women and the envy of all young men. If they weren't envied or loved then they were certainly feared, especially with the three that trailed behind his daughter now. They were the eighth generation and they possessed a fighting spirit like no other and also a power that sometimes made the emperor himself want to test to see how he would fare. Aizen considered their closeness inevitable and allowed it because he honestly didn't see the harm. They protected her fiercely and that's why he allowed them to be by her side. If they ever failed at that then he would have all three killed plain and simple, the fault of one was the fault of all. There would be nowhere they could run where he wouldn't be able to find them.

He was vaguely aware of the rumors circling around Orihime and her closely knit group, to which he simply rose an eyebrow at. With his daughter's near volatile personality he was almost positive that her abrasiveness would deflect even the most lecherous man. She was of age to be wed already but he knew without preamble that the fiery youth would only tear the poor man down via effective word choice. He had saw no evidence of such affections among the foursome in any way but still he had half the mind to separate them considering something was bound to happen at some point but he never went through with it considering none of the rumors bore any real fruit in the first place. Aizen had it settled that as long as her virginity was still intact he didn't care what relationship she had with them. As long as they were discreet and didn't bring shame upon their family name then he would turn a blind eye no matter what anyone told him. Unlike his waning trust in his wife and disappearing respect for his son, the emperor had faith in his daughter, and what he believed and thought was law.

"She should be punished." Sora said under his breath.

Aizen heard him clear as day and sighed, it seemed his son's attitude knew no bounds, "You know how sensitive she is when you come down on her about her duties and you also know how much she despises being written off as weak or fragile, when she is not. Her reaction is valid."

The emperor's disposition was not an angry one, but the iciness in his tone gave his emotions away and made the archduke's already bruised ego suffer even more.

"It was merely a suggestion father," The archduke somewhat acquiesced, "however you have to agree that her and her damned Trifecta are causing somewhat of a problem."

"One I will not adhere to," He saw the incredulous look Rangiku gave him and all it took was one hard gaze from him to make her turn her head, "as far as her duties go, she will slowly come around. Her position is not as dire as yours and she doesn't need to be pressured to wed and bear children . I will let her do what she wants simply because the importance of the future rests with you, not her."

Sora huffed like a child, peeved that he was once again reminded of his birthright when his sister wasn't being held up to the same difficult expectations. He didn't care what kind of chauvinistic ideals were set around him, he preferred not to suffer alone, "But she-"

"Is only delaying the definite and shouldn't waste anymore time pretending to be a warrior." Was Rangiku's curt cut in.

Aizen simply halted all conversation with the raise of his hand, his patience was thinning and he was sure no one would be able to stand his ire should he be irritated too much, "I don't want to hear anything else about the matter." Was his final warning.

He then peered down at the multiple array of delicacies littered on his plate with a frown, "it seems like my food has gone cold."

—*—

Orihime sat in front of her vanity mirror as her reflection was cast back at her in low candlelight. She brushed her long, fiery locks with more than a little attitude and normally her hand-maidens would be the ones fussing over it but as of now she detested the very idea. She sent them away prematurely with her surly attitude and stormy gaze and quickly replaced the useless women with Nnoitra. He sat on a pillow specifically colored to match the ones he usually wore instead of her family's or her own colors. She vaguely surmised that the shade of red must've been the one of his house, or whatever semblance of a house he had.

Now that her mind was trained on the thought of him she went over all she knew in regards to him and which of the qualities were favorable over others. She listed the fact that he was the balance between her lieutenant—who was all grace and refinement—and her third hand—who was brute strength and raw force—with the languidness of someone who was at ease and calm but more alert in action and watchful eyes. She didn't know how such a difference between all three came about but for some reason it intrigued her. They were all so different.

Her stormy hues lost interest in the shine of her locks and began to look over his form, noting the occasional scar, lean build and semi-long hair and she thought over how the years had changed him, how much they use to clash and being angry enough to want to kill each other. Unlike the other two of the Trifecta, she knew and he knew that he could not and would not be controlled. If he were to leave her she would let him. He was the only one out of the three that was there purely because he wanted to be, while her lieutenant was given to her by her father and her third hand earned his right to be there because he won a tournament that qualified him.

Nnoitra had the strength to deny her whims, being the first to tell her no when she asked him to be a guard for her. It had enraged her initially then made her wonder endlessly why he would decline her offer when she was obviously the second most powerful woman in the country. He told her plainly and without fear and with a little disdain why he didn't want to be associated with her. She was mind blown and intrigued...and she had to have him. Little did she know she had proved herself to him as much as he did to her.

 _The large city of Saya was capital to the sector that was named after the same city, a place that was littered with thieves, whores, mercenaries, and beggars with the other side of the spectrum being a generation's worth of nobility residing there. Their living space of the sector was built there by their ancestors a millennium ago—or so they said. Orihime knew them to be a respectable, high-class family and couldn't imagine why they would ever choose to continue living in such a horrid city in the first place, but apparently they were well respected among the peasants and were avoided by any criminals of the like. The fiery-haired young woman still considered the place an eyesore, trouble or none. If she could she would have the whole place destroyed and have something more respectable built over it._

 _As soon as she became of age, her father considered it time to start fulfilling her duties as Archduchess and relinquishing her mother from doing them since she had her own duties to look after. Sora and herself served as intermediaries between their father and the rest of the nobles for monthly updates and the like and any changes in their law that may clash with the emperor's. It was sometimes customary for the nobles to travel to the capital to feast and to report to the emperor themselves, but it solely fell upon the Archduchess and Archduke to go to the nobles' domains and gain insight there for obvious reasons._

 _While Orihime and her brother were there to speak with the Duke, their father left it up to Sora to find her suitable men that would accompany her wherever she should go if she were alone. Her previous Trifecta were killed and it were high time the spaces they left behind were filled. She knew her brother like the back of her hand and considered the task left to herself instead, he couldn't tell a dagger from a sharp edged tanto even if it were plunged into his gut, however she knew Sora was quite capable with politics and thus she would leave the speaking up to him. To her knowledge, the Duke was a cold, serious man that often looked down his nose at the lower classed nobility. Her father let him be, knowing that people like him were better off believing the way they did and going on without confrontation. He told her that people like him were easier to deal with when handled that way. Her tolerance of such were incredibly low and she wondered how she would be able to handle him by herself considering he resided in her domain and not her brother's. She would be speaking with the Duke often._

 _The journey from the palace all the way to Saya by guan jiaos was a long one and it left her quite irritated. Her brother was traveling a short distance ahead of her and from what she could see, the eight men that held Sora on top of their shoulders were talking and laughing merrily with him. Her eyes narrowed at the show he was putting on, that smile he would flash at them as if he meant it, she shook her head in disapproval. She allowed no such thing with the men that easily toted her around and although their people thought of her as cruel she showed them nothing but the truth._

 _The sun was blazing hot as they trekked through evenly paved roads. An intricate fan that her mother gave her was her only defense against the stifling, humid air that left her silken strands of hair sticking to her arms, neck, and lower back. Behind the gilded curtains that blocked her from view from commoners and the oppressing sun, she was less than indecent. Her formal and traditional robes that bore the insignia of her family was in a wrinkled puddle of fabric in the corner of the adequate spacing while she wore nothing but a thin yukata she had hiked far above her thighs and nothing but wrappings across her ample chest underneath. Most women her age would cover their mouths in scandal while subsequently trying but failing to hide their blushing faces at her brazen show of skin. Her full lips turned up in a disapproving frown as she could envision the scene quite clearly, such weaklings. They were born into the world with nothing and even knowing that as young adult women they still cover their faces in shame._

 _The archduchess snorted and shook her head with narrowed eyes as she considered the thought of men not hesitating to shed their clothes without a second thought of whispered comments on shame and values. Stupid cows._

 _Her guan jiao was being slowly lowered to the ground somewhere and she considered that she probably should've been paying attention to where they were going instead of being lost in her angry thoughts. With a speed unlike no other she snatched up her clothes that she had discarded not too long ago and put them on with ease while twisting her long hair back into the intricate bun it was in. The men that were in charge of her guan jiao didn't bother her unnecessarily until that very moment when one of them was bold enough to try to gain her attention by moving the gilded curtains around._

 _Her tone was curt and strong, like a commander's, "What?"_

 _Immediately she rolled her eyes at the anticipated stuttering the man was going to start sputtering and low and behold he was nearly indiscernible._

 _"Hi-hime-sama! We've arrived in Sho-Shohan."_

 _The archduchess immediately narrowed her eyes in annoyance, her orbs darkening in storms like they usually did when she heard something displeasing, which was all the time. Shohan wasn't far from Saya but was still the underbelly of something unpleasant in Orihime's narrowed orbs._

 _"Shohan," She repeated in disgust, "what would we possibly need—"_

 _"Be at peace little sister," Sora interrupted, "at some point our men need to rest and resupply. They are not cattle nor horses to be over worked."_

 _At some point her brother had left his guan jiao and made his way to the side of his sister's. His sudden voice only served to give her slight chills in surprise before she huffed indifferently and ordered the stuttering man to assist her in leaving her massive four man operated vehicle. It was customary for the men to do this but she'd made it glaringly obvious for them to either ask for her permission to even deign to touch her or wait for her to ask for assistance herself. Assuming she wanted or needed help was the quickest way to ignite her ire and even though she despised the thought of receiving assistance for anything, appearances had to be upheld. Especially in this sod of a hellpit that happened to be a part of her domain. Sometimes she wondered if the gods or whatever deity there was, was playing a cruel joke on her._

 _The thought had her face permanently stuck in a subtle, but noticeable scowl, and it only served to make the stuttering man tremble even more at the sight of the young archduchess's clearly displeased face._

 _Luckily, the young future emperor had saved him from the young miss's infamous wrath._

 _Said young woman directed her angry glare to the shaking man standing beside the person she really wanted to turn it on and said through barely clenched teeth, "Hurry up."_

 _As soon as the words left her mouth the man scurried off as if he'd been scalded by the hottest of waters. She watched him go momentarily before putting a stray hair behind her ear and regarding her brother with a disgruntled expression, the very air of the place was making her attitude take a turn for the worse on top of the unbearable heat that was doing a much better job of that._

 _"You know the rumors about this place," Her silver eyes cut through the awed crowd surrounding them, "by the looks of these peasants surrounding us I would say half of them are true compared to the far-fetched ones," by the way some of the people standing nearest to her shifted underneath her scrutinizing gaze she noted that even this far away from the imperial lands, the very weight of her gaze and family name sparked uncomfortability and nervousness in these parts, "it's naive to stop here." She said wisely._

 _Sora's hand fell on her shoulder and immediately she felt the urge to shake it off as a feeling deep in her person alerted her to the endless dangers that were surrounding them. Nothing in her heart felt fear, but she wouldn't deny that her haunches were raised in apprehension, although it would never show on her disdained face._

 _It aggravated her entire soul when her brother would make hasty decisions just to comfort the people around him. She didn't understand why he did it in the first place when he was never actually genuine from the start. It was all a show of glamour that she didn't have the time, patience, nor energy to put on herself for other people. Especially those beneath her. However, she left her brother to his own devices in that department and once again internally acknowledge that at the end of the day and in time he would be her emperor and she would have to obey him without question._

 _"Any place is better than no place," He glanced at the crowd around them being held at bay by their imperial guards, their halberds large and gleaming in the oppressive sun, "do you doubt our men?"_

 _Silver eyes narrowed at the bulked up men in armor, noting where certain weaknesses were and weren't based on the numerous scrolls she devoured specifically for this purpose, and with disappointment she shook her head, "Nothing is ever one-hundred percent efficient brother."_

 _Armor was better going into battle with as opposed to none at all, but it limited nobility. It was also faulty against a sea of arrows raining from the sky or perhaps from the other side of a battle field. Orihime knew this because that was how one of the men in her Trifecta was felled. She shouldn't have expected anything other than existing from that one. He was an idiot._

 _"Sounds like doubt to me."_

 _She shook her head once more, "I don't place all my expectations on something as faulty and as inconsistent as a man and you know that."_

 _He wanted to debate her point of view and she knew this based on the slight twitch of his lips, but she was set in stone in her ideals. Trying to even get the redhead to see another light was as redundant as trying to get a thief to tell the truth. In Orihime's eyes, they were all liars anyway._

 _Instead he said nothing in response to her and opted to pull her closer to him with a small hand above her waist. Their mobile men would be back in a moment from their break but until then he tried to placate his sister as much as he could without her intimidating the very people she had to rule over herself considering these were her people and land she was to govern for the rest of her life until she had children and eventually handed it over to them when they were of age._

 _Minutes began to go by and Orihime found herself growing angrier and more suspicious by the minute. What the hell was taking them so long?! If things were her way, the minute they showed their faces she would have their hides. Half a pound of flesh for wasting her time and thinning her patience!_

 _The space next to Sora grew cold and he knew without a doubt that his sister was livid and there would be no speaking to her that would alleviate such a force. When she got like this, he often left her presence, but as it was he couldn't do that. Besides that, he wondered where the men were as well and wondered if it was possible for them to have gotten lost. It was obvious they weren't suppose to stray very far from them, but Sora surmised that maybe that little rule may have slipped their delirious thoughts. Luckily, their six, well versed, imperial guards remained like an impenetrable force._

 _Seconds went by before the men came back one by one until they were lined up and separated according to whose guan jiao they were assigned to help carry on their backs. The four assigned to Sora were all there and accounted for, but Orihime's end was severely lacking with only two of her men standing there with various forms of confusion written on their faces. Of the two men that were MIA, the stuttering mess of a man was nowhere to be found._

 _Orihime was nearly red in the face, but kept her expression controlled with a practiced experience that she got from their father, "Are you miserable lot so imbecilic that you can't find your ways back to the children of the emperor you people have sworn your worthless lives to?!"_

 _Sora let her do the speaking in this moment because if it wasn't her scouring face that inspired fear and shame in them it was her venomous words that made them feel worse than the dirt and the worms that crawled through it. He could see it in the way their shoulders sagged and the way some of them warily took steps back as if that would protect them from the assault his sister was heaving upon them. There was nothing he would've said that would have sparked the same or even remotely similar emotions in these men and for easily discernible reasons, that fact made him slightly jealous of the power his sister reigned over men and women alike. She instilled a wariness in the toughest of men, intimidation in the cattiest of women, and fear in the weak willed. There wasn't a chink in anyone's armor that she couldn't pierce ruthlessly. Sora chose to take different routes with the people who were and weren't always around him. He preferred his methods because they were smarter but Orihime's ways bore fruit before his did, and there was never a time where she didn't reap the benefits._

 _Sora watched with concealed bored eyes as the men before them nearly cowered while the imperial guards began to get antsy being in Shohan for so long. Saya was less than an hour away and the sun would set soon. It would be unwise for them to stay where they were over night or have to camp on the way to Saya for any reason. They simply didn't have the number of men that would allow it. That and if they were to settle for some time then keeping watch via taking turns while they slept spelled disaster for them and an inevitable ambush._

 _And all due to the dilly dallying of their men._

 _He definitely was going to get them out of this one. Sora let Orihime have her way with them until he deemed it necessary for them to quickly find a solution then leave._

 _"Where are the other two?" The Archduchess demanded through clenched teeth._

 _The two men that were with him last both glanced at each other and then back at her. Neither of them trusted themselves to speak in their defense or speak at all so they opted to make nearly indecipherable gestures to indicate that they didn't know._

 _Orihime seared them with her slate grey eyes and then speared her brother next. All of the emotion the archduchess expressed was in her large grey orbs. Her body language was the epitome of calm and reserved and even her facial expression remained indifferent, but her eyes were a different story. They breathed fire and nearly incinerated Sora, something that unsettled him._

 _"We can't move with the sudden disappearance of two of our men Sora," She told him lowly, even her tone of voice was even, at least with him, he observed, "sending the guards to look for them is suicide as it is stupid and we can't afford to be stuck here overnight or longer than we already have," She observed the increasing crowd of people around them and moved a step closer to her brother once the guards began to box them in, "I have an idea and you're not gonna like it but it'll solve our mishap."_

 _Before he even got the chance to ask her what she had in mind she was already going through with said plans. As Sora watched his sister speak low in one of the imperial guard's ear, the male nodded imperceptibly and proceeded to lift the archduchess up to sit on one of his shoulder's while another imperial guard supported her other side so she could make an announcement to the people around them._

 _Sora scowled at the fact that Orihime only mentioned her thought of plan to him as a form of formality rather than her actually including him on anything she was about to do. It wouldn't look good for him to interrupt or try to stop her now, not in her own domain that was, and he was virtually stuck on the sidelines forced to watch her. He knew the rules of etiquette in their society better than she did but she somehow ended up using it against him._

 _The crowd watched her fascinated and most of the bulk quieted down to hear whatever she had to say, but Orihime demanded so much more._

 _"BE SILENT!"_

 _The range of her commanding, and slightly reprimanding tone reached even the people who were standing the furthest from the center where the imperial children actually were. It took many by surprise and to some extent a select few seemed to want to challenge the authority she obviously weld in an iron grip. She spotted them before they could utter a word because she could sniff out disobedience wherever it lay and she promptly snuffed it out with a simple, terrifying glance into the very eyes of the man and woman._

 _Their faces turned grave as they found themselves unable to look away even though they wanted to. Her eyes spoke the unspoken promise of horrible things should they think to disrespect her authority in front of others like them. This was the land she owned by birthright and she'll be damned if some no name swains tried to mess any part of rule up by making a mockery out of her._

 _Once she found she had the attention of all, or at least those around her, she continued her announcement, "I am Sosuke Orihime, Archduchess of the empire, First and only daughter of the Emperor, and Leader of the Order of the Trifecta and with me, your future leader and Emperor and First born son of the current Emperor, Sosuke Sora."_

 _It just dawned on said future emperor that some of the ingrates around them had no idea who they were. The bulk of them mostly crowded around_ _them simply because it was obvious enough that they were nobles. One would think his family insignia would've rung some bells but he figured with Shohan being so far from the inner city they probably weren't privileged enough to see an imperial guard walking around with the brand of their insignia on their flag. There were literally some people standing there in further awe than they were before due to this new information they were given and Orihime had capitalized on their ignorance. Their rapt attention increased more than before and more space was given to them as those standing close them realized how badly things could've ended for them had they crowded even more._

 _"It's known knowledge that as of now I am without the presence of my Trifecta and currently recruiting for more," Her eyes met every single person's eyes sans the group that arrived with her while Sora's disapproving and rigid expression was heavily set upon her, "I personally separate the wheat from the chaff and the boys from the men and only after you've been approved by myself do you get the privilege and opportunity to be within the presence of Emperor Sosuke Aizen," The gravity of the news made many quietly murmur, which Orihime allowed and spoke over, of course they would need to talk amongst each other, "to serve me is to serve the imperial family whom you answer to alone. You will abandon your previous obligations to whatever noble of the court that also rule over these lands," Sora bit the inside of his cheek at her choice of words and inwardly cursed his sister for opening her tyrant mouth in the first place, stepping on the toes of the duke when they still had to convene with him was...unwise, "whoever is brave enough to rise to the occasion will step forward. Even one male will do," Her intense eyes saw the men that were about to step forward and she immediately began to douse dreams, "you will take orders without question and you will be at my beck and call at every hour of the day. If you have loved ones and family that you care about then I am not sorry to say that you're one and only obligation will be to me over them. If there is ever a choice between myself and your loved ones then I'll tell you right now they will be the ones suffering a painful and horrible death because you will be fighting for me, but most importantly," She stressed her next requirement with all the seriousness and truth of a leader and warrior, "you must not fear being taken by death, or being the one bestowing it," She paused momentarily to let her words sink in, "think hard before you present yourself in our presence."_

 _The archduchess gestured subtly to the men holding her up and they promptly let her down so she was standing on her own two feet comfortably. She returned to Sora's side and wasn't surprised to find that he wasn't pleased with her._

 _"That was quite surprisingly the stupidest thing I've seen you do," He hissed lowly, "recruiting in Shohan!? Our father will have my neck if he were to find out I even entertained the thought of allowing this!"_

 _Orihime's eyelids lowered a little and it gave her a slightly bored expression, which indicated she was unmoved to care about the precarious situation she placed her brother in. He would be in waters hotter than these when he finally took the throne._

 _"It's glaringly apparent what you have to do to keep yourself out of trouble, brother," Her tone was low and disciplinary, like she was talking to a naive child, which made the side of his lips twitch, "and as of now this will be our ticket out of Shohan and into Saya without putting ourselves too much at risk," Her eyes turned to ice as she stared into Sora's very soul, "I will not return to father as a failure with empty hands."_

 _Her brother stared back at her and said nothing. He had no response for someone similar to him in more ways than one wanting their father's unrelenting faith and approval in them. It was what he wanted desperately too but it was indecently apparent that Orihime had the whole of their father's heart, attention, and approval, something Sora had to scrap and claw for. The fact made him glare holes into her red mane as she turned from him and took some steps in front of him and by the sides of their imperial guards._

 _Her impatient gaze peered into the slowly diminishing crowd and subtly, but unnoticeable to those around her, her features softened a margin. Although she disliked this place with every fiber of her being, the people in front of her were honest. None of them, so far, had claimed false bravado by making their way in front of her and subsequently waste her time by doing so._

 _The neatly placed red hairs of her brows cinched together slightly as the crowd began to part slowly to reveal a tall man of slim build and long, untamed dark hair. His attire was torn in some areas and the leer in his eyes made Orihime immediately go into a sort of alert at the sight of him. He looked down at her unabashedly and the young woman took that as a challenge and stared back. Despite her feelings of wariness, she refused to be intimidated by anyone. Especially by someone that looked like they stole for the hell of it rather than actually needing what they took._

 _Her eyes narrowed as she assessed him and he said nothing as he watched her do so. The archduchess knew there was some amount of brawn to him if he was the only one to step forward out of the bunch, but he would have to do more than take a couple of steps to prove he was worthy enough to be placed in her entourage._

 _"What's your name?"_

 _Did she even care? No, but there was a purpose to all of this other than getting her brother and herself to Saya._

 _A sly grin stretched over his face as he mockingly bowed his head to her while he introduced himself which in turn didn't fail to make the young woman lock her jaw in minute disgust._

 _"I'm known by many things but I personally call myself Nnoitra."_

 _He eyed the six imperial guards surrounding her, noting their white and gold plated armor and tall halberds that were wielded in iron grips. He watched the archduke, the future emperor, stand a bit off to the side but still well beyond anyone else's reach due to the guards. Even the gold threaded into the fabric of their guan jiaos didn't escape his all consuming gaze as he acknowledged that these young ones were the real deal and weren't just some nobles pulling fabrications out of their asses._

 _Even the most seasoned impersonators and con-artists weren't brassy enough to don the imperial family's insignia which was ironically the byakko, which was renowned all over the lands as the symbol of the most powerful family in the country._

 _Privileged cunts._

 _He watched with slight amusement as the woman in front of him, known for her beauty and cruel disposition, seemed to cut him down with just the sweep of her eyes. Besides the obvious allure to her grey colored orbs, there was another spark to them that also caught his attention. A sliver of calculation and cunningness that was usually bereft of a royal blood such as herself. She was only doing something as simple as sizing him up and gauging his strength but still he found himself intrigued. He could have smirked as she eyed the sheath of a sword on his hip and then raise one of her eyebrows at him._

 _Society deemed it inappropriate to have weapons on your person in front of royals unless permitted, but he answered to no one. Not until now._

 _"Hontaru," She called, which brought one out of the six halberd equipped guards to her side, she then turned her attention back to the man in front of her, "you will prove your usefulness by disarming him and rendering him useless."_

 _As soon as she spoke the words, this 'Hontaru' fello, immediately pointed his halberd towards the newcomers face, eager to prove his own worth to the beautiful archduchess that he would forever vow the attention of and never receive._

 _The blade had whizzed through the air and Nnoitra had heard it slice through the element without mercy, the noise obvious to even those that didn't have a trained ear for it. He could tell their weapons were top notch and would cut through flesh like roasted swine, but did they know how to wield it efficiently? That was the question._

 _"He's the best fighter of this current unit and will have to suffice for now."_

 _She only had to nod subtly at the armored guard and he thrust his halberd forward, aiming for the smirking man's throat._

* * *

 **I think this is a good stopping point for such a gargantuan chapter -.- I have no idea what came over me when I was writing this chapter in particular but it was like a dam broke and ideas were flowing faster than I could type them out. Never the less, I'm trying to stay true to the word limit I've set for this story line but things may not work to my favor in that department.  
**

 **Nevertheless, the wait was ridiculous and like always I'm sorry. Sometimes I'm just really lazy and don't feel like typing and other times my muse just won't cooperate, but no more. I'll be making more of an effort guys I promise. I'm keeping a steady pace at my new job and things are going well and I'm still on summer break but that'll eventually end and I'll start looking at going back to college to finish up my third semester of my freshman year.**

 **Happy Reading Guys! And please review even though I really don't deserve it, haha. -Sasusakui**


	9. Chapter 9

"Sometimes, it is better to be alone. Nobody can hurt you." -Hercules

* * *

Starrk hadn't said anything for the past two hours since leaving Yuna behind and Jigoku hadn't expected him to. The usual banter between the two was rightfully absent and the atmosphere that had settled over the vagabond wasn't one that the woodsman was use to. The elder male wondered if this was Starrk's true self and decided at once that he didn't like it. The aura that had settled just above his shoulders was cold and uninviting, distant and frightening, all the things that the elder male had no idea the vagabond was famous for. It put years in Starrk's slightly grimacing face and gave his eyes a haunted look that whispered of horrors unimaginable to someone as simple as the older man walking behind him with his beast.

A worried frown came and went on Jigoku's face as he stared at the wound Starrk sported with an ease that was scary. The entire arrow was still embedded inside of the vagabond's shoulder and he wondered if it hurt. He found himself unable to ask the disinterested male. His thin lips pressed together as he reprimanded himself mentally for being so weak. He decided then, with resolution, that he would make sure they stopped to rest if Starrk even remotely looked like he would falter.

When they reached the hour mark of their departure from Yuna, the ex-mercenary had snapped off the end of the arrow with ease and grunted roughly as he snatched the head of it out of his shoulder and instructed Jigoku to cover up any trails of blood that he may have missed himself. The woodsman was still trying to get over the sound of his tearing flesh and his pained groans but nevertheless nodded numbly from where he stood. As of now, Jigoku could see that the wound had stopped bleeding but one small prick and it would resume as if it hadn't stopped in the first place.

The woodsman couldn't fathom how Starrk was even walking to begin with or how he hadn't stopped to take a break yet after two hours straight of putting distance between them and Yuna but the thought of being caught by any authorities was enough to keep him moving right along with the vagabond despite his body's protests. Luckily, the ox had rested up nicely even during the ordeal, which hadn't bothered it one bit, and was holding up to their travels. It barely made a noise during the entire walk and something about that comforted Jigoku considering he would be even more horrified if Starrk got annoyed and decided to slay the poor animal where it stood.

It went unspoken but Jigoku knew he was by all means putting his own life and freedom at risk by continuing to travel with someone like Starrk. He had heard bits and pieces of the conversation between him and that short portly fellow and even the small amount that he heard made his skin turn pale and his sweat glands swell. It was glaringly apparent that the man he was walking with was a very capable killer and that he had more than one demon to battle with in that head of his. People like him were better off by themselves because wherever they went death more than likely followed. However, something in the woodsman didn't like the idea of leaving Starrk to fend for himself. He was more than capable of his own protection, that much was proven right before Jigoku's very eyes, but there was something else about the ex-mercenary that made him root to his side. He wouldn't have been able to explain his reasoning even if he was asked.

Starrk's mind couldn't have been further from wondering why Jigoku hadn't decided to cut his losses by hauling ass already. If anything, the vagabond found the older male's lack of self-preservation idiotic and would have turned his back on someone like himself the moment he even caught wind of something as dark and disturbing as his past. On the other spectrum, he couldn't figure out if this meant Jigoku was a genuine and honest person in wanting a companionship with him, or if this meant he was brave for weathering out the storm that was Coyote Starrk.

On bigger matters, he had someone he had to find and exterminate before matters got any worse than they already have. It would help if he had some general idea of where Hideo could've possibly gone that quickly without him having some idea of where he went. The man was short, chubby, and not very smart, but he had his brother's tenacity and knack for not dying when by all means he should have. Images of cockroaches flitted across the vagabond's mind and he could do nothing but nod to himself in agreement; a fitting comparison of the two brothers.

The very thought of the two thorns in his life nearly made Starrk explode with roaring anger, but his silent deposition wouldn't allow for such a thing. He lived by the knowledge that those that can strike your ire can control you and he'll be damned if he's controlled by anyone other than himself, lords be damned, but he couldn't set aside his feelings about his somewhat peaceful life being uprooted because of some years old grudges that truly would've sorted itself out without his interference. The results would've been the same, perhaps even catastrophic, but Starrk nipped it all in the bud with one single stroke and ended it all. If anything, Hideo should be thanking him for ending his brother's life when he did. He was a truly heinous man that didn't deserve to walk the Earth for a minute longer.

His heart nearly leapt to his throat and clenched painfully when his conscious quickly reminded him of something important, or at least important enough to take pause in his darkening thoughts. Was he truly right in striking Hideo's brother down? A life was still a life and he took it upon himself to extinguish it with no hesitation what so ever. He could try to disregard his guilt now and say that he was a different man then—a different kind of monster, but all that really is is an excuse that he wouldn't tolerate himself making.

He was a monster then and he's a monster now, and the same blood runs through his veins.

The better thing for him to do now, if he had any sort of consolation for those he slew, would be to sever the ends of his past that were unravelling day by day and pushing away those that tried to get close to him. One glance at the old man next to him was all he needed as a reminder that he needed to avoid people better.

Dusk was beginning to set in and the vagabond knew they were running out of time. He was used to hoofing it out in the wilderness and making ends meet but surely the old man wasn't, his health most likely wouldn't allow it. Starrk detested the idea of seeking out another small village on the way towards the capital greatly, but their chances of finding adequate shelter so far away from the last village they left was slim to none. He analyzed the pros and cons of heading towards civilization again on the off chance word hadn't traveled that quickly and found himself gritting his teeth and almost biting through his tongue.

"What's the next city from Yuna according to the direction we're traveling?"

Starrk was grossly unfamiliar with the lands closest to the royal city due to the increase in royal guards and he often opted to go around and further north into the colder lands or venture further south of Iyo to avoid trouble. The further away from the palace he got, the more the population lessened, and the less trouble he had to go through. Now that he was faced with such a dilemma however, it seemed like he had no other choice but to start heading towards the type of people he despised the most.

The sudden question made Jigoku jump a little and he had to quickly gather his thoughts together considering it looked and sounded like Starrk had little patience as of right now. The last thing the older male wanted to do was anger him with a slow response. He thought momentarily, his vast memory shifting through all the business transactions he made and where before becoming troubled at what he found. This was a place he almost always avoided unless he had to pass through it to get to a customer on time and that was the only reason anyone like him would ever step foot in this city.

"We should keep going. Nothing good will come out of us stopping in that place."

Starrk observed the way the older male's clothes were starting to no longer fit him well and the slight protrusion of his collarbones and immediately protested against not stopping, "It would be foolish not to stop at this point," He gave the elder male a pointed look, "for both of us." He added.

However Jigoku persisted with the shake of his head, disregarding Starrk's wound for the second time that day, "The foolish thing would be our mere presence in the dark seed of a city. It shouldn't even _exist_."

The ex-mercenary wasn't really in the mood to be curious on why Jigoku of all people seemed to want to avoid this place so badly. He wasn't exactly a forceful person but he wouldn't try to convince the older male to rest there if he was so adamant against it.

"Then I suppose when we get there we should part ways."

Jigoku fell silent. The idea of them parting for some reason putting a sour taste in his mouth, but he was set on his decision and made it final in his thoughts, "Then part we must." He echoed.

The declaration made Starrk give pause and actually think about how it would be without someone else's company once again, to be alone like he was for the years since he left his home and family name up until now and couldn't stop the chill that seemed to come from inside of him. He had gotten use to the older male's presence and infuriating passes and light demeanor so much so that he had almost, almost forgotten that it was better for others if he _was_ by himself.

Nothing was given away from his facial expression, however, his lips were intriguely stretched thin.

"I still need to know what city we're going to soon encroach." Even his voice sounded strained to his own ears.

It took a lot out of the older male to even speak the name of the place that had taken everything away from him. It was the first time Starrk had ever looked into the man's eyes and saw something else entirely, something that probably looked akin to him.

"Saya."

* * *

 **Alrighty, so here's the thing for this story line. It's my baby. I don't like posting chapters for this so quickly without making sure that each chapter is the best they can be. I really like this and don't want to lose interest because I'm running out of ideas.**

 **This specific chapter is the exception because it was a bit rushed but only because I wanted you guys to get something after so long of not updating. For that I do apologize but in my defense I am working and taking college courses at the same time, however, do know that I haven't given up on this story nor any others!**


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